Silence is Golden
by BLeigh93
Summary: The Host Club decides it's time to give back to their community by volunteering at a local orphanage. But what happens when they meet the centers oldest resident, a girl with a dark past who hasn't spoken a word for over 8 years? Can the hosts help her find her voice and discover what secrets she's keeping hidden? MorixOC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Ouran Host Club, just my own characters.**

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"Shizuko…Shizuko darling wake up! Please get up, quickly!"

I rolled over in my bed, trying unsuccessfully to get away from the sound of someone whispering in my ear. It was the middle of the night and all I wanted was to be asleep. Unfortunately for me, whoever had come to disturb my peaceful slumber was now forcefully shaking me in an attempt to rouse me.

"Shizu sweetie, please we must go now!" the disembodied voice called once again, starting to pull my small 9 year old self out from beneath my purple flowered sheets. I mumbled softly, "please just 5 more minutes," before wrapping myself back into a cocoon made out of my blanket. Suddenly though, a loud crash emanating from a room just down the hall jarred me out of my sleep. I sat bolt upright, panicked by the sound, and leapt out of bed only to run headfirst into my mother. I looked up to see her face molded into a worried expression with tears slowly streaming down her face, and that was when I knew something was terribly wrong.

"Mommy what's wrong?" I squeaked out, terrified by my mother's fear. She took my hand and started pulling me towards my closet, opening the door and pushing me into the back corner. "Mommy?" I repeated, as she started to close the door on me, but before she could bolt it shut I shot my hand out blocking her.

She looked at me lovingly before simply replying, "Mommy loves you my little princess. Everything will be fine as long as you stay perfectly silent, alright?" I nodded my head, tears starting to pool in my eyes, as she leaned forward and kissed my forehead. Then she turned back, shut the door, and locked it.

I pulled my biggest coat off a hanger and wrapped myself in it for I was trembling both from the chill of the winter night as well as from the feeling of dread that was washing over me. I huddled as far back in the corner as I could, trying to be as quiet as possible. I couldn't hear much of what was going on outside, just the sounds of doors thrown open, hitting the walls behind them. Finally, it was the door to my bedroom that was shoved open.

Even though I knew better, I leaned forward trying to get a glimpse of all that was happening on the outside through the small crack where my doors didn't meet. I heard voices, two men I didn't recognize, and the sweet voice of my mother. I could tell she was trying to be strong, but there was a slight quiver as she spoke. The men started yelling, asking where it was. I didn't know what _it_ was that they were looking for, but they seemed eager to get their hands on it.

"You'll never have it so long as I live," my mother vehemently shouted back at them.

One of the men darkly chuckled before pulling something out of his jacket pocket. "That can be arranged," he spat before shoving his hand towards my mother's chest. I watched in horror as my mother collapsed backward, stumbling and gasping for breath, before falling still, lying on her back on the floor. The men nodded to each other before starting to pull open all my drawers, ransacking my room. Sirens could be heard faintly approaching in the background as the men hurried their search. Finally, the wail of the sirens was loud enough to drive the men to end their hunt, running for my window as they quickly threw it open and shimmied down the large tree just outside.

They never heard a peep from me, hidden in my closet, bundled up in my too large puffy pink jacket. The police found me almost an hour later, still locked in. I didn't know until they pried me from my corner and I saw my mother's body still lying where it had fallen that she had been stabbed and had since then been pronounced dead. The police loaded me into the back of an ambulance and ushered me to the closest hospital for care, coming back later to question me, but I was too terrified to say a word. They never did catch the men responsible.

This was all 8 years ago.

My name is Shizuko Koi. I'm now 17 years old, a permanent resident of the Azumi Children's Care Center, and I was still keeping my promise to my mother after all these years. _Everything will be fine as long as you stay perfectly silent, alright? _I could hear her saying clearly in my mind. And I had stayed silent, just as she had asked, for the last 8 years.

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**A/N: This is my first story...ever...so review and tell me how I'm doing. This was just an idea that had been nagging me for such a long time that I finally gave in and decided to write it. **

**So ya...hope you enjoyed it so far. I'll try to get the next few chapters up soon.**


	2. Chapter 1

"Tamaki-senpai? What are we doing at an orphanage?" Haruhi questioned, hoping Tamaki had a good explanation. Knowing him and his plans, she already had a few horrible ideas running through her head involving the host club and an adoption.

"Haruhi, I'm SO glad you asked!" Tamaki's eyes sparkled as he faced the rest of his club. "We, as the host club, are expected to entertain the beautiful girls of Ouran Academy. But I believe it is high time we also began giving back to the community," he began, jabbing his finger high into the air. "We are going to be spending the day with these poor, commoner orphans; these deprived, underprivileged children are in desperate need of some good hosting!" Tamaki continued, a single tear slowly making its way down his cheek for dramatic effect, "It will be a learning experience for us all!"

"So we're doing community service then, boss?" Kaoru asked, looking bored leaning onto his twin brother Hikaru's shoulder.

"Yes, that is exactly what I just said, don't you ever listen to me you devil twins!" Tamaki yelled, frantically shaking his fist in the air in what he hoped to be a threatening manner. Realistically it only made the twins laugh before they decided to move over to where Haruhi was standing and start playing with the strings on the front of her hoodie. A rain cloud suddenly appeared over Tamaki's head as he was being ignored once again.

"Well I think it's a great idea Tama-chan!" Hunny grinned and giggled from his perch on Mori's shoulders. "I think this is exactly what those kids need: someone to play with! I hope they like cake, do you think they like cake Takashi?" Hunny asked of his tall friend.

"Ah," was the single word reply from the stoic Mori, which everyone took as a statement of agreement.

"Yes, and considering this children's care center's physicians are employed by my family's hospitals, it is a good idea I came by to make sure all the children are getting exactly the care they need," Kyouya effectively stated, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"So it's settled then. Let's go make these poor children's day!" Tamaki spun around a few times before leaping joyfully up the front steps.

"Oh brother, this can't possibly end well…" Haruhi sweat dropped as she was dragged between the Hitachiin twins up the stairs and into the Azumi Children's Care Center for what was surely going to be an interesting day.

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I stared out the window in the small room I shared with two of the other girls from the center, carefully watching and evaluating the group of guys standing and talking by the entrance. They looked to be about my age, but they were very lavishly dressed. I looked down at the simple sheath nightgown that I wore, which had started to yellow slightly from age, suddenly self-conscious of my appearance even though I knew they couldn't see me. I stood up and walked closer to the window, my bare feet making the floorboards creak, so I could get a better look at the intriguing group outside.

The tall blonde one was gesturing wildly while the other 6 looked on, a mixture of boredom, confusion, or general disinterest showing on their faces. After a few minutes of discussion, they seemed to come to an agreement on something, nodding their heads in a satisfied manor, then preceded to enter through the center's front doors. I contemplated what business a group of rich (for I had come to the conclusion they were rich by their overstated dress and mannerisms) young men could have at an orphanage, before I was roused from my thoughts by a gentle knock on my door.

"Shizuko-san, you're awake," Jin, one of the caretakers at the Azumi, softly opened the bedroom door. "Chizu-sama has requested the presence of all students in the foyer, and you aren't even dressed dear." Jin navigated easily around the toys left on the floor by my younger roommates to come to my side and pull me towards the small desk in the corner. She sat me down in the chair, which was mind you meant for someone of a smaller stature and therefore much too tiny for me. She grabbed quickly at my brush before starting to pull it through my hair, all the while muttering charmingly in the way only Jin could about 'my beautiful hair and how it should never be left in the distressed tangles I seemed so adamantly to want to keep'.

"We have visitors today Shizuko-san, young men visitors," Jin smiled at me. "They have come from Ouran Academy to spend the day with the children. Now I know you are a young woman now, and do not need others to entertain you as much as the youngers, but they are nonetheless very handsome young men and they could be possible suitors for you, no?" I rolled my eyes and cocked my head to the side giving Jin an _I know you're not trying to set me up again_ look, before returning my gaze to the mirror.

"Don't give me that look child, I only have your best interests at heart you know," Jin replied, turning away from my hair to grab the pale blue dress the female residents of the children's center wore. She pulled me up and helped me into it, buttoning up the back and tying the white belt sash into a neat bow. I despised that dress; it made me feel much younger than my 17 years as the inferior feeling in comparison to the style of the gentlemen started to creep back up. "Now come on, Chizu-sama is waiting for you, you're the last one to emerge today. Go, go, come on now," Jin ushered me out the door. I rolled my eyes again before heading towards the staircase that would lead me down into the foyer, and straight into what was surely going to be an interesting day.

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**A little explanation of why I chose the names I've chosen for my characters so far:**

**Shizuko: Shizu means "silent" and Shizuko means "quiet child". I chose this name for obvious reasons. **

**Azumi (the name for the children's center): Azumi is a female name meaning "safe residence", chosen to mean the children's center is a place they can live and feel safe.**

**Jin: Jin means "tenderness, gentleness", which I gave to the nurse/caretaker because of her gentle and motherly nature.**

**Chizu: Chizu means "one thousand storks". I chose it as a play on the idea of babies being delivered to their parents by storks, and Chizu, being the owner of the orphanage, has children delivered to her to live in her care.**

**Enjoy the chapter, and please review!**


	3. Chapter 2

The host club walked, well 6 of them walked…Tamaki more sashayed, through the doors of the Azumi Children's Care Center. The inside lobby area was painted a cheerful yellow with a white trim. Plush, but slightly worn, armchairs dotted the room giving it the inviting feeling of a cared for family dwelling. A woman, roughly 40 years of age with short fiery red hair cut into an attractive bob and startling emerald eyes, approached them with a warm smile on her face. Smoothing down the front of her apron, she opened her arms to the boys in a welcoming gesture.

"Ah, you must be the boys from Ouran, we've been expecting you. The children are all abuzz! I'm Kietsu, Chizu, the chief caretaker and owner of this center. Please, please come in, let me show you around," Chizu motioned for the hosts to follow her as she started down a long hallway. Turning around and walking backwards with the natural grace of a tour guide, Chizu pointed to Tamaki. "You must be Suou, the one who I talked to over the phone, and the president of this fine club."

Tamaki, being the ever-elegant host he was, stepped forward and took Chizu's hand, bowing down and giving it a kiss. "Yes, but please call me Tamaki. After our delightful chat on the phone I could not delay our meeting. Thank you for honoring us with the opportunity to spend this lovely day with the children."

"Quite the charmer you are, Tamaki," Chizu blushed softly. "Well, we thank you for taking an interest in our students. They don't often get visitors here to just socialize." With that Chizu turned back around to continue showing the hosts around.

"Here is the kitchen where our two cooks and myself prepare all meals," Chizu gestured, pushing open the first door down the hall on the right. The hosts all crowded in through the door giving a quick glance around the interior of the kitchen. It was small, just barely big enough for 4 maybe 5 people at most (and with the entire host club plus Chizu crammed inside, they were nearly bursting at the seams). Chizu maneuvered with great difficulty around the kitchen pointing out the various ovens, refrigerators, stoves, and other cooking gadgets much to the delight of Tamaki and the twins (a commoner kitchen!) before deciding it was time to move on with the tour.

Back outside, Chizu showed the hosts a small sample bedroom that was currently vacant of tenants, a music room with a small upright piano, a few violins, a flute, an acoustic guitar, and a cello (all graciously donated, Chizu added), the classroom where she lead studies during the week, and finally back into the foyer.

Kyouya was the first to speak up upon reaching the end of the tour. Pushing his glasses up and jotting a few notes down, he turned to face Chizu and asked, "Chizu-sama, how many students currently reside here?"

Chizu replied quickly, "27. 15 girls and 12 boys between the ages of 3 and 17." The twins smirked at each other when they heard there was someone 17 years old, hoping it was a girl while simultaneously thinking and plotting about a new "toy". Haruhi rolled her eyes and whispered "perverts" before whacking each of them upside the head.

"Speaking of the children, would you like to meet them now?" Chizu asked. Each member nodded their head, Hunny so frantically he almost fell off Mori's shoulders. "Well then come on, they are all waiting in the play room. They simply cannot wait to meet you!" She exclaimed before walking to the door off the foyer and pushing it open, revealing a large open living room where the children were waiting.

"Kids, please welcome the Ouran Academy Host Club. They're here to spend the day playing with you, and I know you are all excited, but please be on your best behavior," Chizu addressed the small mass of bodies. The young faces stared back anxiously at the host club, not knowing whether to be frightened or ecstatic about their newfound friends. A little girl, no older than 6, with dazzling plum colored eyes and a cute black pixie cut walked up to Tamaki and grabbed his hand. She looked up (and up and up considering the height difference) before smiling sweetly and asking him if he wanted to be her best friend.

And that was it. Tamaki was a mush squealing about his darling children and how much fun they were going to have. He swung the little girl around as she giggled delightedly before running off into a corner of the room still holding the girl, a small mob of children falling in line behind him. _Just like Tamaki-senpai to have the masses at his feet,_ Haruhi smiled in his direction before deciding the take up residence by a small boy with glasses who was reading intently from what appeared to be an encyclopedia.

The twins spotted another pair of twins, two small girls with brown pigtailed braids about 10 years old, holding hands quietly by themselves at the table in the back. Seeing a lot of themselves at their age in the twin girls, Hikaru and Kaoru walked back to them intent on getting them to come out of their shells. Kyouya in the meantime was circling the room with his notebook in hand, taking notes on the conditions of the children's center, stopping occasionally to have a quick conversation with various children. Finally, Hunny was running from group to group with Mori in tow, asking everyone and everything if they would like to share some cake with him. It was a happy sight for Chizu, as the students never really had older role models to share their time with.

A sudden creak came from the stairs in the corner, snapping Chizu out of her quiet thoughts. "Oh, there you are Shizuko-chan. You finally cared to join us huh?" Chizu softly scolded whoever had just entered the room. Glancing up from their current positions to see this mysterious Shizuko who had so rudely shown up late to their "party", the hosts were all shocked to see a girl their age cautiously making her way down the stairs.

She had long hair, so blonde it was almost a silvery white. It cascaded down her back in perfect rolling waves. She was tall, about 5'11" if Kyouya had to guess. She was wearing the same pale blue and white dress the other girls were wearing, but it seemed just a bit too short on her, and the hosts could all tell she felt uncomfortable in it. She was thin, but not unhealthily thin, just small boned. She kept her head down as she silently stepped off the last step and walked towards Chizu. She hugged the woman in what appeared to the hosts to be a _sorry I was late_ gesture. Then she meekly turned away from them all, and started to walk out of the room.

"Just where do you think you're going now Shizuko?" Chizu questioned her eldest ward, "You're being rude to our guests. Please come back here so they can properly meet you young lady."

Shizuko stood rooted to the spot where she stood, her hand still out and posed to pull the door in front of her open. Slowly she lowered her hand to let it rest at her side, but she did not turn to face them. "Come on Shizuko, don't be shy," Chizu tried to coax her over. Finally, Shizuko swiveled around to face the room, which had gone silent in anticipation. Her head was still tilted downwards but the hosts could start to make out more of her face, which included an angular jawline, thin pink lips, and blunt bangs.

Trying to calm the nerves of the shy girl, Tamaki's host instincts kicked in and he stepped forward reaching out for her hand. He picked it up, speaking softly, "Little princess there is nothing to be afraid of. We're here only to be in your company." He started to lower down to kiss her petite hand, but she suddenly jerked back pulling her hand free and slapping his hand back, her head snapping sharply up revealing her wide eyes. Tamaki took in a deep breath when he saw her eyes, such a light blue they were the color of ice, but then recoiled when he saw they were glaring intensely at him.

In the background Hikaru and Kaoru had stopped talking for once, too shocked by the girl's reaction to Tamaki. Kyouya was frantically writing in his notebook, no doubt about the interesting girl that had just appeared. Hunny had a piece of cake on a fork, which had made it halfway to his mouth before freezing in midair. And Mori…well he looked no different from his usual resigned demeanor. But on the inside, his heart had started to race at the sight of the angelic beauty in front of him.

Another tense moment passed before Shizuko realized the entire room was staring at her, waiting for her to make a move. She slunk back, hating being the center of attention, before turning on her heel. She walked to the nearest bookshelf and grabbed randomly at a book before silently gliding out of the room. Just before the door closed she looked back, accidentally making eye contact with Mori. Her eyes narrowed as she gave him a good look, then continued on her way, the door swinging shut behind her.

"I'm so sorry about that," Chizu ran forward where Tamaki was still frozen in place. "That was Shizuko, our oldest resident. She's normally quite friendly I don't know what came over her."

"It's quite alright, Chizu-sama. I just don't know what I did to offend her, that is all," Tamaki replied, genuine concern on his face.

"Shizuko is a tough case unfortunately," Chizu began to explain. "She was brought into my care 8 years ago. Her mother had been killed right in front of her, poor child. She was dropped at my door with only the clothing on her back, and a small trunk with her meager belongings." She looked up as the host club slowly began to crowd around to hear her story.

"Shizuko Koi is her full name. She has lived in my care for so long. She is such a sweet girl, fiercely protective of the children here, especially those two over there," Chizu motioned to the plum-eyed girl and her slightly older, freckled, redheaded friend. "She's very intelligent too; her IQ is close to exceeding 170. But she has one flaw which ultimately kept her from ever getting adopted." The hosts all leaned in close to hear what Chizu had to say.

"She will not, or cannot, speak."

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He had called me Little Princess. Only my mother had ever called me Little Princess. That was why I reacted the way I did. I instantly regretted my actions, for he seemed like a genuinely nice character, but as soon as I realized they were all staring at me I had to get out of there. Especially the tall one in the back, with the slightly spiked hair and almost cold look in his eyes, I had to get away from; his stare unnerved me.

I looked down at the book I had grabbed; it was a physics book. _ I've read this three times already_, I thought to myself. Coming to the conclusion that I wasn't going to be reading my book, I decided to head towards the music room where I knew some piano playing would ease my mind.

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After getting over the initial shock of the information Chizu had imparted them, the hosts slowly went back to their former activities. They tried to forget anything had happened, but it was hard to remove from their immediate memories. As the air in the room started to move back towards the playful mood of earlier, Hunny suddenly yelped. "Wait! Where did Takashi go?"

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**I tried to make this chapter longer than the first two. After this, I feel the majority of the chapters will be somewhere around this chapter in length, if not a little shorter. **

**Once again, please review, and as always enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 3

Mori wasn't sure why he had followed her. All he knew was that he was there, outside the music room they had been shown earlier, and he was listening to some of the most beautiful piano playing he had ever heard; her playing even rivaled that of Tamaki. If he wasn't mistaken she was playing a piece by Tchaikovsky.

"Tchaikovsky, Méditation," he heard from behind him, affirming his suspicions. "That was always one of my favorite pieces to play," Chizu said, slowly approaching Mori from down the hall. "I taught her how to play the piano you know. She heard me playing one night soon after she arrived here. She came in and sat down on the bench right next to me, looked up at me with those big eyes, and I knew all she wanted was to play. Over the next few years, she became a master, and not only of the piano. She can play every instrument in here, and expertly."

Mori's eyes widened when he heard how musically gifted she was. Suddenly, he was yearning to hear her play more than just the piano. He wondered what it would sound like to hear her play the harp, his favorite instrument.

Chizu smiled at the tall and quiet boy in front of her. She could tell he was deep in thought about the music he was hearing. Shizuko could do that to anyone when she was playing, make them stop and think. It was her gift. Chizu shook her head; it was so unfortunate that the families looking to adopt could not see past Shizuko not speaking, that and her age. When Shizuko had first come to Azumi, she had been stubborn. She hadn't wanted to leave her home and had been brought to the center kicking. Her moods and slight temper at being brought to the center had kept her from being adopted in the beginning. After that, when she started to finally calm down and settle with the fact that her mother was not coming back, it was her age that turned people away. Parents wanted to be able to raise their children; not many families were looking for a 15, 16, 17 year old. So Shizuko had never left.

Chizu sighed and went back to listening to her play. That was when she realized the music had stopped and a rustling sound could be heard from inside the room. Then the sound of metal drawers being pulled open and shut frantically. Then there was more rustling. Mori looked over at Chizu with a quizzical expression on his face. "She's looking for more sheet music," Chizu replied, "I wonder what she'll chose."

The rustling stopped and small steps could be heard making their way across the floor. The piano bench was pulled out; pause, then small strokes started being played. The new piece started out very slowly, Mori heard, as her hands shifted across the keys. But about a minute or so in the piece started to grow with a fierce intensity.

"Oh no, she's playing the Vine piece again. She only plays this when she's frustrated or angry with herself. I should probably go try to calm her down…" and that was when Chizu suddenly had an idea. With a sparkle in her eye, she turned towards Mori and continued, "unless you would like to go in and try?"

* * *

My hands flew across the keys as I played the Tchaikovsky piece I had all but memorized. It was the first selection by Tchaikovsky I had learned to play, and it had quickly become one of my favorites. I sighed, the feeling of the keys beneath my fingers calming me in only they way they could. I loved all the instruments in the music room dearly, but the piano, being the first instrument I had learned to play, was always the closest to my heart.

As I neared the end of the song, I could hear a soft voice talking from the hallway. I instantly recognized it as Chizu-sama, but she wasn't having a conversation with herself now was she? She was quite obviously speaking about me, so I narrowed her list of possible companions down to the 7 Ouran students. Judging from the lack of responses she was receiving, I concluded it was the tall one I had made eye contact with as I left the room. He didn't seem like one to make idle conversation to me.

_Why did he follow me here? _I thought, slightly unnerved by the idea of stalkers. _Or did Chizu-sama bring him here? _Either way, I did not like that they had decided to hold a conversation on the topic of me right outside the room I was in. _They must not be able to realize I can hear them speaking, _I concluded. _Well in that case, I know a surefire way to let Chizu-sama know I don't approve._

I got up from the bench, and walked over to our filing cabinets of sheet music. Sifting through a few drawers I quickly came to find the piece I was looking for. _Ah, Carl Vine, Sonata No. 1, Mvmt 1, this aught to do the trick of getting their attention. _I hurried back to my seat, laid out the pages I needed, and started to play. It was a soft piece in the beginning, almost soothing in a way, but anyone who knew the piece well knew that this quiet did not last. As I neared the minute mark of the song, I started to unleash the fierce notes the pages held.

**_ "Oh no, she's playing the Vine piece again. She only plays this when she's frustrated or angry with herself. I should probably go try to calm her down…" _**

_Hah yes, I knew she would recognize Vine! _I smirked to myself, as I reached one of my favorite parts of the song. I started to run my hand down the length of the keys when I suddenly heard: **_"Unless you would like to go in and try?"_**

I slammed my arm down on the keys, as was custom to the next part of the composition, but instead of lifting it up and continuing to play I let it rest there listening to the clashing sounds of the keys. _Was she really considering sending HIM in to talk me down? _And then I heard footsteps approaching me. Hoping beyond hope it wasn't "tall and silent" I turned around.

It was just Chizu I came face to face with, thank goodness. Wondering why "tall and silent" had opted out of coming to my aid, I fixed Chizu with a _now why would you do something like that_ stare.

"He was worried Shizuko, I could see it in his eyes. I think he likes you, he just doesn't know it yet. You two are kindred spirits I can tell. I was hoping I could convince him to come in and talk…well maybe nod or something….at you. But I guess not. Maybe he'll come back soon, who knows?"

I rolled my eyes (something I assure you I do quite often) and stood up from the bench. Chizu put her hand on my arm and motioned for me to go out the door ahead of her. "Now we are going to go back to that room, and you are going to properly apologize, alright?"

I nodded yes, too tired to argue, and I did really want to apologize to the tall blonde one. I still felt terrible about my earlier actions. It didn't take us long to get back to the main room, we had just been down the hall, so I turned the handle on the door and pushed, walking back into the room I had so recently fled.

* * *

"Where did you disappear off to Takashi?" Hunny questioned when Mori slowly reentered the living room.

"Nowhere," replied Mori, sitting down on the ground next to where Hunny was sharing some more cake with a little girl and two boys.

Knowing he wouldn't get more of a response from his friend, Hunny went back to talking about his favorite cake flavors with the children. "I like chocolate the most, or wait no I like strawberry cake the most, with loooots of frosting on top, and…."

Mori stopped listening to the spiel he had heard so many times he had memorized it. He couldn't stop thinking about Shizuko. He wondered to himself whether she was mute, or if she had just one day stopped talking. If she had just stopped, what had made her do so, and why had she never opened her mouth again?

The door to the room opened and Shizuko walked back in guided by Chizu. She looked slightly ashamed, her cheeks tinted pink with a blush. Chizu nodded at her, to which she sighed then cocked her head at an angle. Chizu motioned to Tamaki with her head, so Shizuko walked towards him. When she was standing a foot away she bowed forward in an apologetic manor.

Tamaki stood up and smiled one of his dazzling smiles at her. "I understand Shizuko-san. It is quite alright, I did not mean to offend you in any way." Shizuko looked shocked that he had accepted her apology so quickly, before leaning forward and giving him a tentative hug. Tamaki tensed for a moment, not expecting the hug, before relaxing and wrapping his arms around her loosely. She pulled away and shyly smiled at him before pointing to some of the other hosts.

"Oh yes, we never did properly introduce ourselves now did we? I am Suou Tamaki, the president of the club," Tamaki bowed, then continued, "The twins over there are Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru," he pointed and the twins winked, "the one with the notebook and glasses is Ootori Kyouya," Kyouya gave a curt nod, "the adorable one in the corner is Fujioka Haruhi," Haruhi smiled, "the one eating cake is Haninozuka Mitsukuni, but everyone calls him Hunny," Hunny waved, "and finally Hunny's shadow is Morinozuka Takashi, but everyone calls him Mori." Mori nodded, and then surprised everyone by giving her a small smile.

Shizuko regarded Mori carefully, before returning her gaze to Tamaki bowing her head in thanks. Then she turned and went back to the bookshelf from before, looked at the selection, decided quickly on a mathematics book, then headed to a chair where she proceeded to sit down sideways leaning back on one armrest and dangling her long legs over the other.

After this, everyone went back to what they had been doing, with Mori occasionally glancing over at Shizuko. She seemed to be working out problems in her head. Chizu saw him watching her again so she walked over to him and whispered in his ear, "she's worked her way through that book four times already. I do wish we had more for her to work on, but we don't have much funding. We mostly have learning materials for the younger students. She's mastered everything we have." Then she walked away to take care of a young boy who has started to cry.

The rest of the afternoon went off without a hitch. Soon the host club was cleaning up and promising the children they would be back to visit. Hikaru and Kaoru hugged the twins they had spent the better part of the afternoon with, vowing to return soon with the new dresses they had designed for them. Haruhi finished up her discussion with a few of the children on her favorite books then walked over to help Tamaki free himself from the mob of kids that were attempting to follow him outside. Kyouya was already by the door, still jotting down notes, while Hunny and Mori were putting the last of some toys in their bins.

"We'll see you soon then?" Chizu asked hopefully.

"Of course, we had such a marvelous day you could not keep us away!" Tamaki replied flinging his arms out. He bent over and gave Chizu a quick hug before blowing a kiss the kids who all giggled and walking out the door. The rest of the hosts followed him out and into the waiting limo.

The limo started pulling away, leaving the Azumi Center behind, when to everyone's surprise Mori spoke up.

"Shizuko, I want to help her."

* * *

I watched the hosts as they walked out the door, watching one host in particular. His smile had confused me as I had first thought him to be cold and unfeeling by the look in his eyes. But when he smiled, his whole demeanor changed.

_So, his name is Takashi then. I like it better than Mori, it suits him._

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**Wow, another chapter done already. Thank you for all the reviews I've received already, please keep them coming and letting me know what you're liking/disliking! **

**I hate to do this, but I'm really busy getting ready to go back to school and therefore my time to write is slowly dwindling...oh look there it goes right out the window (goodbye free time!) **

**But if I were to get more reviews, I might be inspired to post chapters sooner. So give that some thought...and thanks again for reading!**

**Links to the two pieces Shizuko plays during this chapter are in my profile. If you want to hear what section of the Carl Vine piece I am talking about when Shizuko slams her arm down, skip ahead to 3:35.**


	5. Chapter 4

It was a week before the hosts made another visit to the Azumi Children's Care Center. In the time that had passed the group had had a few discussions, more than a few arguments, and made some requests, all dealing with Shizuko Koi. Eventually a conclusion had been reached and the hosts were about to go share the news with Chizu and Shizuko.

An older woman was sitting at a desk in the foyer when they walked in. Tamaki sauntered over and had a quick conversation with the lady, who blushed deeply then pointed down they hallway to the classroom. "Follow me boys," Tamaki beckoned to them as he headed in the direction he had been pointed in.

Tamaki knocked politely on the door of the classroom and then waited. A few seconds later Chizu opened the door, a surprised look on her face.

"Tamaki-chan, what are you doing here? Are the rest of the hosts here as well?" Tamaki stepped aside to let Chizu see the group who gave her a collective wave.

"Chizu-sama, we have come to offer you and Shizuko-san a proposition!" Tamaki stated confidently. "Would you care to hear?"

Chizu looked back into the classroom and quickly told the children to take our their English books and read quietly, then walked out into the hallway asking the hosts to follow her. They walked back down the hall and into the great room they had spent the day in a week ago, then up the stairs and stopped in front of a door painted a pale pink. "The children get to choose what color they want," explained Chizu. She knocked on the door then spoke loudly enough that whoever was on the inside could hear, "Shizuko-chan the hosts are here to speak to you. May we come in?"

Floorboards creaked and then Shizuko was opening the door, letting the company join her inside. She was wearing the same blue and white dress they had seen her in before, but her hair had been made into a French braid that hung delicately down her black and she was barefoot. Her icy eyes looked at them expectantly as the hosts glanced around her room.

There wasn't much to it; three beds, one larger than the others to accommodate for Shizuko's height, a chest of drawers to hold clothes, a desk with a mirror attached, and a chair. Toys and dolls were scattered on the floor between two of the beds, whereas a tall stack of books were neatly placed on the desk by Shizuko's bed.

Still eyeing the boys suspiciously, Shizuko inclined her head forward to say _come on, what are you here to tell me?_ She sat down on her bed and leaned back closing her eyes, waiting for them to speak up. What she wasn't expecting was for Tamaki to loudly proclaim, "We wish for Shizuko-san to come study at Ouran Academy with us!"

* * *

My eyes flew open and I quickly sat up, shaking my head fiercely back and forth. What were they thinking asking someone like me to go to their lavish school; I would stand out like a sore thumb! I could never compare to the people who went there; I didn't know how to act like them, or how to dress like them, hell, I didn't even speak!

Chizu walked over to me and started frantically rubbing my back and whispering soothing words to me, and that's when I realized I had started to hyperventilate at the mere thought of attending Ouran.

My breathing started to reach a normal pace as I collected my composure. I fixed Tamaki with a glare that told him exactly where he could go with his ludicrous idea, when Chizu spoke up.

"What would Shizuko attending Ouran with you entail, might I ask?"

I opened my eyes wide hoping she would see the pleading look in my eyes and politely decline their offer for me, but being Chizu I could see she already had a plan in motion. And thus my hope started to slowly decline.

* * *

"Well, Miss Koi would have to take the entrance exams first and apply for a scholarship. If she passes, which should be no problem if her IQ is as high as you claim it to be, and she is granted the money then she will officially be enrolled as a student at Ouran. We will rotate providing transportation to and from Ouran so Miss Koi will not have to worry about finding her way around given her unique situation," Kyouya explained.

"Well this all sounds fabulous, but what's in it for you? I don't want to be suspicious, but it's just my nature," Chizu's eyes narrowed, hoping there was no catch.

"Chizu-sama, I assure you there is nothing more in it for us than to see Shizuko-san prosper as a student. Mori informed us as we left the other day that you wished for better schooling for Shizuko-san as she was more advanced educationally than what your funding could offer. My father is the chairman of Ouran and when he heard of Shizuko's plight he was willing to offer this solution," Tamaki said hesitating slightly before saying, "with the condition that Shizuko-san see the Ouran speech therapist regularly."

_Mori was the one who suggested helping me, I can't believe it. _I glanced over at him only to find his eyes were already on me. I turned away quickly, feeling a fire spread through my cheeks.

I hated blushing, and even more so I hated that they were talking about my future as if I weren't in the room. Didn't I have any say in the matter? So I began to genuinely think about what Tamaki was offering me, and the potential it had for changing my life.

_ Why are they being so kind to me?_ I wondered. _They only met me a week ago. I don't really want to go to Ouran with a bunch of stuck up rich kids who know nothing about hard work…but maybe it would be a good change for me. I can't read those same books yet again; I need to move on in my lessons._

I loved the schooling I had received here, and it was true I had excelled in all my classes, but I had passed every subject Chizu could throw at me. I had completed physics, biology, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus, and while I clearly could not speak any of the languages I had learned, I could read and write exceptionally well in Japanese, English, French, and Chinese.

I had just convinced myself to give this interesting opportunity a chance when I reentered the conversation just in time to hear Tamaki announce, **"with the condition that Shizuko-san see the Ouran speech therapist regularly." **

My resignation went out the window and I leapt up from my perch on my bed, again firmly shaking my head no. I would attend their school, I would put up with their antics, and I would be more than delighted to further my education, but seeing a speech therapist was where I drew the line. Suddenly everyone in the room was gazing at me wide eyed, waiting to see what my next reaction would be.

I had stopped shaking my head, but my heart was racing fast and I suddenly felt dizzy and tired. Shakily I made my way back to the bed and sat down, bringing my knees up to my chest and placing my head in my hands. I was unexpectedly ashamed by my behavior and I didn't want the hosts to see the tears welling up in my eyes. I sniffled, accidentally giving away my distress. _Oh now I've done it. They must think horribly of me and that I am a child who cries whenever she doesn't get her way. _

A soft hand was placed on my shoulder. I looked up expecting to see Chizu coming to comfort me, but it was Mori. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. The deep bass of his voice struck me, but it was a soothing sound nonetheless. I nodded then looked around me for the notebook and pencil I used whenever I needed to get a direct message across.

Chizu produced the notebook from behind her back then handed me the pencil, and I began to write. The room was hushed as I recorded my message on the lined paper. I stopped to think about how I wanted to phrase my thoughts then continued to write. When I was finished, I handed the notebook off to Tamaki who held it up and read out loud so everyone could hear.

"I extend my deepest apologies for the way I have treated you. You have been nothing but kind to me and I acted foolishly and like a child. I am not mute, as you may think, but my mother's last words to me were that if I stayed silent everything would be all right. I have not broken this promise to her in the past 8 years, and I have lived comfortably and happily. I miss the sound of my own voice, it is true, for I used to love to sing, but I do not know if I could break my promise. Even if I could, I fear I do not remember how to speak. Nevertheless I thank you for your proposal, and I wish to accept your kindness."

Tamaki finished and looked at me with a sad smile on his face before engulfing me in a hug, "I will talk to my father about cancelling the speech lessons. But whenever you are ready Shizuko-san, we will all be here to help you find your voice one more."

I looked around at the faces of the hosts. They were all smiling at me, even Mori, and in that moment I knew my life would be forever changed by this incredible group of individuals.

* * *

**Well, I'm officially back in school starting today so I'll be a lot busier than usual, but I'll try to update as often as I can. Keep letting me know what you think, it really helps me when making decisions about my writing style!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Wooh another chapter! I moved into my dorm yesterday and it was crazy, I'm surprised I got any writing done. But here you go, chapter 5. Enjoy!**

* * *

Two days later a representative from Ouran came by the children's center to administer the entrance exam for Shizuko. An hour in to the three-hour exam Shizuko walked out of the classroom having already completed the test. She was followed by Chizu and the Ouran rep who had a stunned look on his face. No one had ever completed the examination that quickly. Before leaving, the rep assured Chizu and Shizuko that the results would be calculated by the end of the day and they would be notified of the school's decision as soon as possible.

"So how do you think you did?" Chizu pestered Shizuko as they watched the agent get into his car and drive away.

Shizuko shrugged to mean _who knows, but we'll see soon._

"All right well come on then, it's time for lunch and it's your turn to help cook," Chizu remarked pushing a giggling Shizuko into the kitchen.

* * *

A few more days passed before we heard any news from Ouran. Tamaki himself came by to bring the news that I had been accepted as a new transfer student. I couldn't contain my joy, leaping forward and hugging Tamaki with more force than I realized I had. I might have been small boned, but I was anything but weak.

The twins arrived next hauling a team of stylists behind them, maintaining they were there to "update my look". I was sat down in front of the mirror in my room then physically tortured for what seemed like hours as the twins and their posse trimmed my hair and applied copious amounts of makeup. I admit in the end my appearance had been enhanced for the better; I looked every part the mature 17-year-old woman I felt I was on the inside, rather than the scared and shy image I normally gave off. My measurements were taken last so a proper uniform could be produced for me.

After Tamaki stopping by and the twins' invasion, I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised when Kyouya arrived a few days before the start of the semester bearing new tech supplies for me. He had brought a laptop computer so that I could complete any online homework assignments and write essays with more ease, and a cell phone, pre programmed with all the hosts' numbers in case I desired to contact any of them. I eyed him worriedly knowing fully well I could not actually communicate orally by phone. He saw my expression and replied, "Don't worry, I made sure the phone came with texting capabilities."

Next should have been Hunny or Mori, but neither showed up, that is until the first day of classes.

I woke up early, though I shouldn't say I woke up considering I had barely closed my eyes. My nerves had kept me awake all night. I quietly got out of bed so as not to wake my two small roommates and padded over to the dresser to get dressed. Chizu had bought me a pair of jeans and a royal blue button up blouse that tied in a bow at the neck so that I wouldn't have to wear the dress I always did at home. My uniform would be ready to be picked up with my schedule when I arrived. I silently thanked Chizu, hoping maybe I wouldn't be as noticeable in it.

I walked down to the bathroom I shared with the other girls and to go through my morning routine of brushing my teeth and washing my face. I fixed my hair, now slightly shorter and curled at the bottom thanks to the twins' makeover, into a simple ponytail with a blue braided headband to hold my bangs back. I walked back to the room, slipped on a pair of white oxfords, and headed downstairs to eat some breakfast.

Chizu was already waiting at the table with a plate of pancakes and an apple for me. She was drinking black coffee and reading the day's newspaper with her feet up on the chair next to her. She looked up when I walked in and gave me a reassuring smile.

"So, are you ready for your first day at Ouran?" she asked me.

I bit my lip and shook my head. I was more nervous than anything, but I knew I had to be confident if I wanted to fit in. I sat down at the table and nibbled slowly at my food. A half hour passed before the bell over the front entrance jingled letting us know someone was here. I stood up and took a deep breath to calm my racing heart, then picked up my bag with my computer, cell phone, and various other school supplies in it. Chizu and I walked together out into the foyer where none other than Takashi Morinozuka and Mistukuni Haninozuka were waiting.

I froze when I saw who would be accompanying me to and from school for the day. _Of all the hosts, it had to be them first?_ I thought to myself. _How am I supposed to act around him now?_ I had to do something though so I nodded towards to door to see if they were ready to leave. Mori shrugged while Hunny just giggled, so I turned around and bowed to Chizu who waved me off and wished me a good first day. Solemnly I turned around and followed them out the door, quite unsure of how I would get through this day, let alone this car ride.

* * *

They could tell she was nervous when they arrived. Hunny and Mori stood waiting by the door when Shizuko walked into the room. Her messenger bag was held loosely in her hands as she stopped short in front of them. A look of shock flashed momentarily across her face, but as quickly as it was there she had regained her composure. Her eyes darted anxiously around the room as if she didn't know where to look, but at least she knew she didn't want to look at them.

Eventually Shizuko gave up and looked timidly at the pair of students. She nodded once at the door then turned her gaze back to them. Mori shrugged before turning around and opening the door for her. She was wished a good first day by Chizu then followed them outside where their limo was waiting.

Shizuko's eyes widened when she realized they were to be riding to school in a limo. She had never been in a limo before and was frankly quite excited. She stepped forward curiously and without even waiting for the driver pulled the door open. Once inside she sat down and giggled when she bounced slightly on the seat. She rubbed her hands over the interior of the limo, liking the feeling of the soft leather against her skin. A smile played on her lips as her curious nature kicked in and she started moving around the limo exploring.

Mori and Hunny had since then gotten into the limo and were now watching as Shizuko examined every inch of the limo. Mori couldn't help but smile as he watched her eyes light up whenever she discovered something new. Finally she had made her way to the front of the limo and found the button to lower the window separating them from the driver; she pushed it tentatively, then squealed like a little kid when she watched it go down.

Mori let out a laugh; she might have been a genius but her innocence and lack of knowledge about the extravagant world she was entering was endearing and made him cheerful. Shizuko whipped her head around when she heard him laugh and she started to blush. She looked embarrassed that she had been caught acting foolishly, but Mori shook his head and sent her another one of the small smiles she had come to like. Still, she sat back and contented herself with looking out the window and watching as the new views passed by outside.

Hunny had tried to start a conversation with Mori, but soon realized his quiet friend was too busy observing their new companion. He smiled, knowing exactly what Mori was thinking, and started to plan.

In the meantime, Mori was thinking just how her dark blue shirt brought out her eyes and made them all the more icy. Her headband matched their hue perfectly, and her jeans hugged her in all the right places. He sighed wondering how someone could be so perfect, then pulled out a book and started to read.

* * *

I heard him sigh quietly and turned to see him pull a book out of his bag and start reading. _Dickens, Oliver Twist, good choice Takashi_, I thought to myself. I had decided a while ago that Takashi suited him better than Mori and had taken to calling him Takashi in my mind. I watched as his eyes quickly scanned the page, then as his long fingers flipped a page. He looked serious and intimidating when he thought people were watching him, but when he let his guard down there was a calm and serene air around him. I could tell by the way he delicately held the book and the way his eyes reflected his reactions to the words on the page that he was a lot gentler than he appeared to be.

I had a sudden urge to let him know how I felt. I mean, how I felt about him wanting to help me…that I was grateful. I didn't want to disturb his reading however so I took out my phone and sent him a quick text message. _This phone is going to come in handy I can already tell_ I thought as I pocketed the phone. I gazed back out the window and saw we were coming to a stop in front of the largest (and might I add pinkest) building I had ever laid my eyes upon. _Was this where I we were going? _I wondered, but my question was answered as I saw both Mori and Hunny pick their bags up and move towards the door of the limo.

The driver opened the door and let them out. I quickly grabbed my bag from where I had dropped it earlier and exited so as not to be left behind. I bowed to the driver in thanks for the ride, and then hurried after the pair. The building looked even more intimidating as I moved closer. I saw girls clad in pale yellow dresses and boys dressed smartly in blue blazers, black slacks, and ties, and immediately felt underdressed.

My nerves came hurtling back and I froze where I was. I made to turn back and run to the limo, but a soft but strong hand was placed on my shoulder. I looked hesitantly up and saw Mori standing there with a worried expression on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked me.

I shook my head no and bit my lip. He patted my head and, in a move I would never have expected from him, grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, I will be here," he said, taking his hand back. I found that I missed the way it felt having my small hand engulfed in his large warm one. He motioned towards the building and I took a deep breath. I walked forward and stepped through the entrance and into my new life as a student at Ouran.

* * *

She looked so nervous as walked through the doors, Mori thought. She was a year younger than him, but her high exam scores and superior IQ meant she had been placed into many of his classes. He was secretly glad of this because it meant he could keep an eye on her. He pulled his phone out to let the rest of the host club Shizuko was here and was doing fine when he saw he had a text message. He opened it up to find it was from Shizuko herself.

**Tamaki had mentioned you were the one to suggest helping me with my schooling. I realized I had never thanked you. So, thank you. It means a lot to me.**

Mori looked up and realized Shizuko and Hunny had stopped to wait for him. Hunny waved and yelled to him "Come on Takashi, you slow poke!" and Shizuko smiled her small smile. He smiled back and thought to himself _it's just a text, but at least it's progress,_ then proceeded to join them.

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**Now the faster you let me know how I'm doing the faster chapters get uploaded. So go review, yes you, go now! **


	7. Chapter 6

I knew I would stand out coming to Ouran, but I guess I didn't realize just how much I stood out. Whispers followed us as Hunny and Mori walked me to the chairman's office to receive my uniform and class schedule. I could tell from the way the girls especially were glaring at me that my presence was not welcome at the school, or at least around Mori and Hunny.

I had learned a little about the host club from the twins when they had come to make me over. The hosts were the "it" boys of the school: the richest, the fittest, the smartest, and the most beautiful. They were all exceedingly charming in their respective "roles". I still had yet to figure out why Haruhi was there considering she was female (yes, of course I had noticed), but I presumed if she was part of the group there had to be a good reason.

We finally arrived at the chairman's office and Mori opened the door for me to enter. I walked in and a secretary immediately came over and offered her hand. I shook it, and then nodded yes quickly when she asked if I was indeed Koi Shizuko.

"Chairman Suou has been expecting you. Please have a seat while I let him know you are here," the secretary said to me as she picked up a phone and made the call. Hunny and Mori were still waiting by the door to the office as I sat down to wait, but then Hunny walked over and handed me a few pieces of paper folded up. I opened them up to find a map of the school with arrows drawn pointing to several classrooms.

"Takashi and I have most classes with you. You also have a music class with Tamaki and a chemistry class with both Tamaki and Kyouya. Takashi and I thought it would help you to have a map to find your way around!" Hunny smiled at me. I bowed my head in thanks and refolded the map before slipping it into my pocket. _This will most definitely be useful later._ I turned my head back to Hunny and Mori just to see them opening the door to leave.

I must have looked panicked at the notion that they were leaving me because Hunny ran back over and flew into my lap, throwing his small arms around my neck. "Don't worry Shizu-chan, we'll be waiting in our first class for you! We'll save you a seat and everything! Just follow the map we gave you and you'll be fine!" Hunny calmly told me as he scooted back off my lap. I gave him a hesitant smile and watched as they walked out into the hallway.

A few uncomfortable minutes passed before a middle-aged man with close cropped brown hair and a smile walked out of the door behind the secretary's desk. He beckoned me over and I followed him into his office. It was evident to me this was both the chairman and Tamaki's father; they had the same kind and affectionate air to them, even if the chairman seemed very stern. I sat down in the plush leather seat in front of him as he leaned against the edge of his desk.

"Miss Koi what a pleasure it is to meet you. I have heard much about you from my son. Tamaki has always found gratification from helping others, but I have never seen him so adamant about having a student join us here at Ouran. I was unsure at first, but after seeing your entrance exam scores, I must say I was blown away. Now, your teachers and I have been informed of your situation, and while I am not thoroughly satisfied that you won't be attending our highly trained speech therapist, Tamaki has assured me that you will come to us when you are ready. Does this all sound correct to you?" he asked me.

I shook my head yes not quite knowing how else to react. "Quite good then," he said standing up and moving back around to his desk chair. "I have your uniform and schedule here, you may now go join your classmates. And please, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to come to me."

He handed me a bag that I assumed contained my uniform and walked me out. As he opened the door he glanced over to the clock on the wall and made a small click with his tongue. "I apologize for making you a few minutes late to first hour. Let me write you a quick note to let your teacher know it was my fault." He turned his back to me and jotted a note onto a piece of monogrammed paper then handed it to me and ushered me out the door.

"Enjoy your first day here at Ouran Academy," Chairman Suou said to me with a wave as I opened the door to the silent hallway. I slipped outside and let out a sigh I didn't realize I had been holding in. It was going to be a long day, but before I could find my class I would have to change into my new uniform. I pulled out the map Hunny had given me and located the closest women's room and headed in that direction.

* * *

Shizuko had not made an appearance yet after the first 10 minutes of class had gone by, and Hunny and Mori had started to worry. They hoped she hadn't gotten lost despite the map they had given her. Just when they were about to ask their teacher if they could go in search of the new student, the door opened and Shizuko walked slowly in.

The standard female uniform of Ouran Academy had replaced her jeans and blouse, but the oxfords still adorned her feet and her hair was still held back by the blue headband. Every eye was on her as she inched her way into the classroom and towards the teacher's desk. She pulled a note from her bag and handed it to the professor who read it then told her to find a seat and join in since class had already begun. Any introductions could be made during the students' free time.

Shizuko spotted Mori and Hunny, the latter of the two who was waving his hands above his head to get her attention and direct her towards a vacant seat between them. She picked her way between the desks to a row near the back and set her bag down next to the chair they had saved for her. So as not to disturb the class any more than she already had, she quietly sat down and produced a black notebook from her bag.

"Shizu-chan, you look so cute in your uniform!" Hunny whispered to Shizuko, who blushed fiercely. "Doesn't she look cute Takashi?"

"Ah," was his response, to which Shizuko's blush deepened. She tried to focus on her notes and the lecture, but it was difficult to concentrate when Hunny was chattering nonstop about how she was almost as cute as his bunny Usa-chan and he was so happy they could all share some cake during hosting hours that day.

Shizuko's eyes snapped up from her page to Hunny's face. She hadn't even considered the idea that she would have to attend their hosting hours. Now that she thought about it though it made sense considering her ride back to the center was Mori and Hunny's limo.

Shizuko wished now more than ever that the ground would open up and swallow her so she wouldn't have to stomach sitting through hosting hours. She couldn't begin to wonder just how the other girls would react to the new student who was already so close to their precious hosts. Maybe she would be able to find a study room and work there. Or maybe she could just leave early and catch the bus. She had never taken the bus before it couldn't be that hard could it? Well, maybe it would be for her all things considered. She could try to….

Suddenly a small hand was being waved back and forth in front of her face. Shizuko snapped out of her thoughts to see Hunny looking at her curiously.

"You okay Shizu-chan, you seemed very out of it for a moment," Hunny questioned her. Shizuko had not even realized she had been staring at him, spaced out as her thoughts ran rampant. She shook her head and ducked her head to hide the blush, which, if the day continued as it had been, might permanently adorn her cheeks. Hunny shrugged at Mori who had been watching the two intently and went back to his note taking. Mori shot a glance towards Shizuko once more, and then he too went back to listening to the lecture.

* * *

The rest of the class flew by and soon it was time to move to my next period. I examined my schedule closely, perusing the order of classes for the day. Next I was planned to take a music theory class with Tamaki. _Finally, something I can feel relaxed about_, I thought as I picked my bag up and followed the throng of students out into the hall. My nerves had started to subside and I could feel my confidence returning. I waved a quick goodbye to Hunny and Mori and pulled out my map to find the quickest route to the music room.

Now I might have been considered a genius, but my strongest areas were in math, science, and music, not following directions. Ouran was a very expansive school and even with my carefully drawn out map, I managed to wind up lost. I was walking with the map in front of my face, trying to make heads or tails of what sector of the school I had ended up in, when I abruptly ran into a solid object. I fell backwards, landing unceremoniously on my rear.

I looked up nervously to find my worst fear confirmed; I had run into another person, and a rather seedy looking gentleman at that. His mouth was shaped into a rather horrible scowl, but as he saw me lying on the ground it morphed into an even more frightening sneer.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A little lamb lost on her way to class is it?" he laughed menacingly as he bent down in front of me. My heart was racing so fast and my legs wouldn't move, as I wanted them to, so I ended up closing my eyes and hoping (doubtfully) that he would just leave me alone. I knew this wouldn't be the case when I felt a hand grab the front of my dress and haul me up.

"You're a quiet one now aren't you. I wonder what your sweet little voice sounds like, don't you boys?" he asked back to the boys behind him that I could only call his henchmen. "So, will you be good and speak for us little lamb, or will I have to make you? I sure know a few ways to make a pretty girl like you scream."

Knowing very well that I couldn't respond I tried to reach into my bag for my phone, or anything else hard that could be used to fight back with, but his hand grabbed mine and kept it still. He leaned in close to my face and I could feel his breath and my cheek. I closed my eyes once again so I wouldn't have to face whatever happened next when suddenly I was back on the ground. _He dropped me? But why?_

I opened my eyes to see Mori standing over me offering his hand. Behind him the boy who had been troubling me was on the ground holding his nose, which I presumed to be broken. I took his hand and he pulled me up. I dusted off the front of my dress and took some deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

"He won't be bothering you any more," Mori said in his deep bass. I shook my head not knowing how else to respond. The henchmen had helped their ringleader up and were making their way down the hall away from us, and I was suddenly very aware of how close Mori was to me and how alone we were. He placed his hand on my shoulder and nodded once to me then turned on his heel and walked back the way he had come. I was still unsure how he had known I was there or that I had needed assistance, but all the same I was glad he had shown up when he did.

My shoulders sagged, as I felt weary from what had just transpired. I walked over to where my bag had fallen from my shoulder and picked it up. I put it back on and tried to walk away, but my legs felt like jelly. I moved to the wall and slid down it, thankful that there was no one to see me lose my composure.

_Day one and my speechlessness is already affecting me for the worse. I knew it would be difficult to manage, but I never expected this. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea._ Either way, if I decided to stay or leave, I couldn't sit here all day so I pushed myself back up, thankful that my legs were cooperating once more, and continued down the hall. Some music right about now sounded just what I needed to ease my troubled mind.

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**And another one done somehow, despite my crazy life. I don't know how I manage to write and work and still have a social life. But I do, and thank goodness because it's the writing that is keeping me sane. So review, review, review, and help me keep my creativity flowing so you get some more chapters! Later! Peace out.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Lucky you guys, you get two chapters this update. I'm feeling generous...that and these chapters are each a little shorter. Well enjoy!**

* * *

Mori had been delivering some papers for his teacher when he saw Shizuko wandering the halls looking more than a little lost. He was about to go help her find her way, but he really did need to get the papers transferred and back to class. She was heading in the right direction anyway, so she would most likely find her music room soon. So Mori headed on his way.

Not a few moments later he walked out of the secretary's office and started back towards his physics class. Most classes were starting to get underway so the halls were quiet and empty, but as he turned a corner he could have sworn he heard someone talking. He backtracked and looked down the hall he had just passed, and that was when he saw Shizuko, her back pressed against a wall, being held in place by Kuro. Kuro was the son of a well-known yakuza; he in turn was well known for harassing the girls of Ouran.

Mori stealthily made his way down the hall so as not to let Kuro know he was there. When he was directly behind Kuro he swung back and threw a hard punch straight into Kuro's nose. Kuro fell back wildly grabbing at his nose, which was broken and bleeding furiously, dropping Shizuko in the process. Mori looked down at her lying on the floor, her face scrunched up and eyes closed in fear. In that moment his hatred towards Kuro had never been stronger. He watched as she slowly realized she was no longer being held and started to open her eyes.

Mori reached his hand out as she met his gaze, offering her help up. She took his hand and pulled her steadily to her feet. He turned as he heard Kuro growl in pain and watched him and his brute followers run away. He turned back to Shizuko and quietly said, "He won't be bothering you anymore." Then to reassure her he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and nodded briefly. Once he was sure no one else was around, and her breathing had returned to normal, he removed his hand and walked swiftly away. He didn't want his teacher wondering where he had disappeared to now, did he?

* * *

I was still a little shaken up after my encounter with the "thugs" when I arrived at the music room. I cautiously opened the door, embarrassed that I was late two for two classes of the day, and found the room to be mostly empty. Most of the students were still milling about, setting up chairs and their instruments, and were unaware that anyone had even entered the room. I turned around, trying to close the door as quietly as possible so as not to bring too much attention to myself.

Tamaki, however, did not seem to understand this and rushed over to my side, pulling me into a giant bear hug. Tears streaming down his face, he cried out, "Shizuko my sweet daughter where have you been? Your poor father was so worried about you! You could have been kidnapped and no one would have ever known! What kept you so long from your dear father?"

I winced, cringing inwardly when he referred to himself as my father. _Since when are you my father? _I thought. I rolled my eyes and pushed against his chest to get him off of me, suddenly wanting to be as far away from him as possible. He reluctantly let go and I breathed out a quick sigh. I turned away, not wanting him to see that his father comment had gotten to me. _ I don't have a father. My father didn't seem to care enough about my mother and I to stay and keep us safe. _

Most of the students were watching us at this point. I wasn't surprised considering the decibel Tamaki's voice had reached. Luckily our teacher decided to materialize at that precise moment and quieted everyone down, telling us all to find a seat. I sat down next to Tamaki who had fortunately calmed down, his whole demeanor changing when class started. I could tell music was one of his great loves as he listened intently to what the teacher was saying. He looked over at me then and I smiled back at him.

That was when I realized I had not only been staring at Tamaki, but now the rest of the room was staring at me.

"You are Koi Shizuko, are you not?" the teacher asked again, now directly in front of me. I blushed and shook my head yes. _Of course she would want to know who the new student in her class was._

"I've heard you are quite the instrumentalist," she continued. I nodded yes again. "Well, I regret to inform you that this class will not be a walk in the park. You will not be merely getting by in this class playing an instrument you have already mastered. Students may polish the work they have done already here, but they are also required to challenge themselves with a new instrument. That being said, we have everything at your disposal; what would you like your project for the semester to be?"

I blanched when I heard I wouldn't be allowed to play the piano for my semester assignment. There was no way I would be able to practice at the center, meaning I would have to devote extra time at school to whatever instrument I decided on.

I bit my lip as I did whenever I got nervous and slowly looked around the room. The students had gone silent as I stood up and approached each instrument individually. I had a way with music, and somehow I could always make a connection with anything I played just by touching it. I knew everyone was watching me strangely as I simply touched the instruments. As I passed the drum set (too loud for my tastes) I saw in the corner of the room a rather lonely looking harp. It seemed to be calling to me, begging me to run my hands through the strings. I laid my hand on it briefly and felt a jolt of electricity. With a newfound energy I whipped around and pointed at it, adamantly deciding conquering it would be my next musical feat.

The teacher smiled at me, "Ah the harp, very nice choice Miss Koi. Now please come sit back down so we can continue with some basic music theory for the day."

I was extremely pleased with my decision as I made my way back to my seat by Tamaki. I looked over at him and saw his lips were turned slightly upwards into a smirk. _I wonder what that was about _I thought, pulling my notebook from my bag and settling in for the lesson.

The rest of my classes passed with much less activity, which suited me fine. The morning's events had left me exhausted and nervous, and I had spent the next hours trying to slip by under the radar (well as much as I could when a member of the host club could be found with me at all times). Unsurprisingly, my lunch had been full of hateful glares from the female population of the school and, much more surprisingly, stares from my male classmates.

I had never considered myself to be overly attractive. I pictured myself being too tall and too thin with not enough curves. So the looks I was eliciting from the guys of Ouran Academy left me thoroughly confused.

I looked down at my yellow uniform and thought of how the other girls looked much lovelier and more sophisticated than I did in it; the shade of yellow just made my platinum blonde hair look even whiter and my skin even paler.

Appearances were not my main concern however; education came first and foremost in my mind. So I chalked the glances I received as I walked down the hallways up to my being a new and interesting specimen for them to study, and didn't give them another thought.

The school day had ended and by previous instructions from the hosts, I was to meet them in Music Room #3 to wait until it was time to bring me home for the day. I walked through the halls with my map out, though this time I was more observant of my surroundings, as I searched for Music Room #3. _Three separate music rooms? These rich kids sure do have everything. _

I did not particularly want to sit through their hosting hours, but as I did need to return to the center somehow I had to endure it, and them. I turned a corner and looked at the sign above the next door. _Thank goodness, finally_ I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the sign signaling I had made it to the music room. I opened the heavy door and was suddenly bombarded with a flourish of rose petals.

"Welcome," the hosts spoke as one. I let the door fall closed behind me as I came face to face with the hosts.

"Oh, it's just Shizuko," one of the twins, I believe it was Hikaru, said. I cocked my head to the side and raised my eyebrow. _Just Shizuko? _I rolled my eyes at him and strode past the group to a plush couch and sat down, setting my bag down beside me and pulling out my new laptop. I was just about to start on a chemistry assignment when two figures approached me from either side. Judging by their similar movements I could tell it was the twins without even having to turn around. I needed to work and didn't want to deal with their antics, so before they could speak I stuck a finger up in the air, waved it back and forth to say no, and then pointed back the way they had come.

"Oh come on Shizuko, we just want to have some fun with you!" they whined in unison. I was not having it however and turned around just to shake my head at them. I heard a chuckle behind me and saw Haruhi giggling.

"Finally, another sensible female who won't put up with you two idiots," Haruhi continued laughing. I smiled back at her; I could tell we were going to get a long well.

The twins stuck their tongues out at her and sulked off, annoyed that they weren't going to be able to get either Haurhi or I to be their, how did they put it again, "toy".

"I don't believe they will ever grow up," Haruhi came to sit down next to me, "on the other hand, I think that's what makes them so lovable." I shrugged and turned back to my work, but Haruhi kept talking. "It's nice having you here though, Shizuko. You're smart; I know you figured out a long time ago I'm no guy. It'll be refreshing having another girl around who isn't completely crazy and obsessed over these boys," Haruhi gestured over her shoulder. I guess I looked confused because Haruhi just smiled knowingly and said, "You thought the girls were bad during the day? Just wait until hosting hours start. You have not seen the half of it." Then she got up and went to help the others set up for the afternoon.

I gulped nervously. I had already been on the receiving end of all too many glowers and rude comments from these girls. How exactly would they react to me relaxing casually with their beloved hosts during hours as well? I guess I was about to find out, because Kyouya suddenly announced "one minute to opening" and then walked over to the main doors. He placed his hands on the handles and pulled, unleashing the barrage of fangirls that waited on the other side.


	9. Chapter 8

**A few things: I know the beginning of this story is kind of moving slowly, but don't worry...it'll be getting more exciting soon I promise! **

**I also want to clarify a little about Shizuko's personality. She is shy and insecure about herself, but she is not weak and when not taken by surprise (as in the hallway from the last chapter) she can defend herself.**

**Alright, now that that's taken care of...**

* * *

A flood of girls rushed through the door, and like a wave crashes on a rocky shore, the girls broke off in every direction towards their awaiting hosts. I had never seen so many girls fawning over a group of guys before. Granted they were a very attractive group of young men, but the levels I could see these girls stooping to to get the hosts' attentions were unbelievable.

As the initial thrill of a new year with the beloved hosts started to die down, and the girls settled in for an afternoon of flirting and treats, I picked up my bag hoping to move to the back room and work. But as soon as I had taken a step, Tamaki was at my side ushering me towards his group of devotees. "Shizuko my daughter" (cringe) "these girls would love to meet you. Please come sit with me and enjoy some tea and cakes."

I was pushed down onto the couch across from Tamaki and suddenly bombarded with questions from every angle. I didn't know where to look, let alone how I would respond to their prying. I threw my arms out which quieted the girls nicely and pulled a notebook and pen from my bag. I wrote a brief introduction:

_Hello my name is Koi Shizuko. I am 17. I am quite obviously a new student. I am also fairly certain you have heard about me in some way or another by now and therefore know I do not speak. So please be considerate and patient. If you have a question, ask one by one, do not shout, and allow me time to write my responses. Thank you. _

I ripped the paper out and shoved it at the waiting crowd who passed it around and then, following my instructions, started to calmly talk to me. Overall, the girls were not _as_ snobby and standoffish as I had expected, but I could still tell there was a general consensus that I was not welcome in such close proximity to their men.

Eventually the questions subsided and I breathed a sigh of relief. Tamaki had gone back to his hosting duties rather than watching me, which I was grateful for. Then I felt a gentle hand placed on my shoulder and I turned to see a girl a year older than me who I had seen in a few of my classes standing there.

"Shizuko-san, I'm Myou Neikan. Would you be so considerate as to help me make some more tea for our Prince Tamaki?" she introduced herself and smiled rather slyly. I eyed her questioningly, but my curiosity got the better of me and I followed her to the back room. Once inside, the curtain falling closed behind us, she calmly picked up the teakettle and refilled it with water before placing it on the small stovetop.

"I'm going to get right down to it, and I'm speaking on behalf of all the female admirers of the host club. I don't know who you are that you think you can come in here and steal these boys from us," I was stunned by her confrontation. Did they honestly believe I was trying to undermine them? I had no romantic interest in any of the boys; I simply wanted a decent education! I openly gaped at her as she continued.

"We have worshipped them far longer than you have probably even known them. Don't think we don't know you are just pretending to like them to get free stuff, you gold digging little commoner. You are so poor and common you couldn't stand a chance with a single one of them. So back off while you still can, or we will come for you believe me."

By this point Neikan was virtually in my face. Just then the teakettle rang and she pulled away, satisfied with her threat towards me. She picked up the kettle and strolled out of the room. I trailed her out, clear distaste on my face. But Neikan was not one to let her appearance drop, so she turned around and hugged me quickly. I stiffened as she exclaimed just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, "It was so nice to meet you today Shizuko. I have a feeling we'll be great friends!" and as she stepped out of the hug she whispered in my ear, "don't forget what I said. We will come for you. I guarantee it." Then she was off to deliver the hot water.

I glared at her back as she sauntered off. As I was about to return to the couch to grab my bag and leave, I saw from the corner of the room where Hunny and Mori were entertaining, Mori had been watching me, his normal stoic manner intact. I shook my head at him in order to get him to stop worrying about me. I was fine now, and the hallway scene earlier had been a fluke; I could take care of myself.

I had taken care of myself for 8 years anyway.

* * *

Mori watched Shizuko go to the back room with Neikan from his corner with Hunny. He didn't know what they were talking about, but he knew Neikan was a devout supporter of Tamaki. If she thought Shizuko was making any sort of move on Tamaki, she wouldn't hesitate to act. Just then Hunny tugged softly at his sleeve.

"Are you ok Takashi? You seem distracted," Hunny asked.

"Ah. I'm fine Mitsukuni," Mori replied returning his gaze to the girls, but still glancing over his shoulder frequently.

When he saw Neikan leave the back room with Shizuko following close behind he could see a slight scowl playing at Shizuko's lips. Neikan stopped and turned around to hug Shizuko and he could see her whole body tense at the touch.

"It was so nice to meet you today Shizuko. I have a feeling we'll be great friends!" Mori heard Neikan shout happily. It was all for show both he and Shizuko could tell, so he shot Shizuko a quick look. She met his gaze, shook her head, preceded to walk back to the couch she had been sitting on earlier, picked up her bag and moved to an empty table in the back. She looked slightly defeated as she pulled out a book and started to read.

With nothing else he could do, Mori went back to listening to Hunny and the girls discuss sweets.

* * *

I was rereading one of my favorite books, _Frankenstein_ by Mary Shelley, for the twelfth time. I didn't know why I bothered reading it again when I had the entirety of the work committed to memory. Yet, here I was, sitting alone at a table while all the other Ouran girls flirted aimlessly with their "true loves". It was altogether nauseating how much time these girls spent deluding themselves that these boys were only for them.

Quite honestly, I didn't even understand why the boys wanted to put up with the girls. Yes it was always nice to feel loved and appreciated, but these girls were just too much. As I skimmed the pages of my book I saw activated starting to wind down. Tamaki was bowing to his adoring fans while Kyouya seemed to be totaling costs for the day. Kaoru was in Hikaru's arms blowing kisses and winking at their admirers as they picked up to leave. Haruhi had started clearing tables while Hunny was, no surprise, still eating cake. I was surprised to find Mori was not by his side when he unexpectedly appeared in front of me. I set my book down on the table and looked up at his face.

"We're leaving now," he spoke briefly, waiting for my response. I nodded my head and went to pick up my book but instead of finding it on the table found it in Mori's hands. I had not even seen him bend to pick it up.

"_Frankenstein,_ one of my favorites," he said tersely before handing the book back to me and walking away. I watched him walk away and thought to myself, _Frankenstein's monster and Mori are kind of similar. They're both intimidating on the outside, but maybe they're just simply misunderstood._

I stood up and closed my messenger pack, waved a quick goodbye to the hosts, bowing in thanks for everything, and followed Hunny and Mori out the door. They led me through the halls of Ouran and out to where they're limousine was waiting. The driver opened the door for me this time and I stepped inside, sliding farther in to find a seat.

The ride home was much less interesting. Hunny had collapsed the moment the limo started moving, worn-out from all the sugar he had digested. Mori and I sat in silence, both of us staring out the windows watching the scenery and the setting sun. When we pulled up to the Azumi center I quietly hurried out of the car so as not to wake Hunny.

I was stepping out of the car when I realized I had yet again forgotten to thank Mori, this time for saving me in the hallway. I turned around and saw that he too had gotten out of the car and was walking towards me. Being the gentleman he was, Mori had decided to walk me to the door and wait with me until Chizu let me in. As we stood on the front steps an uncomfortable silence fell over us. Seeing as I was not about to talk, and most likely he wasn't about to either, we stood unmoving side by side.

A bolt was undone and the door opened to reveal Chizu waiting on the other side.

"Thank you for waiting with her Mori, that was very kind of you," Chizu said as she put her hand on my shoulder and led me inside. "Have a nice evening young man," Chizu finished as she started to close the door. But suddenly I had an idea on how to thank Mori and I put my hand out the hold the door. They both stared at me as I walked forward and quickly threw my arms around Mori's neck and gave him a tight hug.

A fierce blush appeared on Mori's face as I pulled back and gave him a small smile. He knew exactly why I had hugged him; I could see it in his eyes. I walked back inside, past Chizu who was still staring at me, into the living room area, and right up the stairs to my room. It had been quite the first day and I had a lot to think about before I went back.

* * *

Chizu watched Mori walk back to his limo, get in, and drive away. She smiled as she thought about what had just occurred. Shizuko rarely hugged anyone and now she had hugged both Tamaki and Mori. These boys were changing her, and they had only known her for a little over two weeks. Chizu sighed, only imagining where this would lead.

* * *

**And that ends the second chapter of this update. **

**I've been loving reading your reviews. I love that they're all nice reviews too. But seriously, if there is anything I could improve on for future chapters and future stories let me know! If not, hey I love great reviews too!**

**So thanks for sticking with me as I keep writing this crazy first story. You guys are awesome :P**


	10. Chapter 9

I had my back against my headboard, my head leaning on a pillow propped up against the wall. I had finished all my assignments for the night and was trying to fall asleep, but the events of the day were all swirling around in my head and I didn't know what to focus on first. In the span of a day I had managed to be sexually harassed by one crude guy, be saved by another rather attractive guy, and become enemies with the entire female populace of Ouran Academy. I sighed and slunk down under my covers, rolling over onto my side and pulling my pillow over ears. How precisely was any one girl supposed to cope with all this madness?

And yet, despite all I had been through today, I wanted to return. My classes were more than I had ever hoped for; it had been such a long time since I had been challenged by anything academically and I was enjoying the feeling of learning again. Not to mention, I didn't want that horrid Neikan to think she had gotten the best of me. So I decided I would be returning to Ouran the following day with my head held high and proud. A bunch of silly rich girls and some vulgar, hormonal teenage boys could not and would not keep me from getting the education I so deserved.

I smiled smugly at that, pleased with myself for not letting everything hold me back for once. _Tomorrow is a new day, and nothing can stop me now._ With that I finally laid back and fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

The next morning Shizuko woke up bright and early, ready to attack the day. She pulled out the extra uniform she had received the day before and stepped into it, zipping it up as she examined herself in the mirror. She had brushed her hair and put it into pigtailed braids, then wrapped each one around the back of her head and back up on top, where they had been pinned down. From the makeup left for her by the twins, she had put on a light coat of concealer and some powder, and then topped it off with a pale pink blush to highlight her high cheekbones. Her eyes were left bare of eyeliner, but a thin layer of mascara covered her eyelashes to make them look even longer.

Satisfied with her appearance she moved to her bed where she ducked down and pulled from underneath a pair of black sandals. As she was pulling them on she heard a small giggle from behind her. She turned around to see her plum-eyed roommate hiding a grin behind her comforter.

"You look like Heidi, ShiShi!" Umeko choked out between little bursts of laughter. Shizuko held a finger up to mouth then pointed to their other roommate, a slightly older girl named Akane, whose mop of curly red hair could be seen peeking out about from just beneath her covers. It wasn't enough to quiet Umeko though as her distinctive purple eyes sparkled with happiness. Shizuko rolled her eyes and smiled at the young girl, opening her arms to offer a hug, which Umeko gratefully accepted.

"Are you going back to the big kid school again today ShiShi?" Umeko asked, leaning away from where her face had been squished against Shizuko's stomach. Shizuko shook her head yes to which Umeko looked down sadly. Shizuko tilted her head looking quizzically at the little girl in her arms.

Umeko offered her a small smile, but Shizuko could see the sadness behind it. "I missed you yesterday ShiShi…I didn't like it when you went away. I don't ever want you to leave again!"

Shizuko gave Umeko a sad smile and pulled the small girl in for another tight hug; she knew exactly how Umeko felt. It was how she had felt when her own mother had dropped her off at school when she was younger. At first she had always been afraid her mother wouldn't return for her, yet every day at exactly 3:45 her mother would be waiting for her in the schoolhouse lobby with one of her beautiful smiles. She was saddened whenever she thought of how Umeko had never had the experience of a mother's love. She remembered the day Umeko had been dropped off in a carriage on the steps of the Azumi; no one had ever known where she had come from.

Shizuko released the little 6 year old and gently picked up her notebook and pen to write:

"You know I will always be there for you, right? We are sisters, and sisters do not abandon each other."

She handed the notebook to Umeko who read the note quickly then nodded as a little tear escaped from her right eye, falling slowly down her chubby cheek. Shizuko wiped the tear away and scooped the little girl up into her arms swiftly. She walked Umeko over to her bed where she set the child down and tucked her back in.

Umeko sat up and gave Shizuko a quick kiss on the cheek, then huddled back into her warm bed getting comfortable. In a few moments Umeko was asleep again, her chest rising and falling slowly in her sleep.

Shizuko looked lovingly at the two girls who had woven themselves so closely into her heart. She hoped they both knew she would always be there for them. She had not been lying in her written note; sisters never abandoned each other. However, as she walked quietly out the bedroom door and down the stairs, she frowned slightly at the idea that she hadn't completely told the truth either. There would be one day when she would have to leave the Azumi, and it was approaching rapidly.

* * *

I ate my breakfast in silence until I heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. I grabbed my bag and an apple and walked out the door to see Kyouya sitting on a bench, typing away on his tablet, waiting patiently for me.

"Oh good, there you are," he said to me as I stood in front of him, "Are you ready to leave now?"

I shook my head yes and followed him to his limo (I guess all the hosts went everywhere by chauffeured limo) where his driver was waiting to let me in. He opened the door and I climbed in, followed by Kyouya, and then we were off.

As soon as the driver pulled away Kyouya's tablet was back on his lap and he was typing quickly once more. I was curious to see what exactly he was always writing, but judging from the looks he gave his precious device, no one but him would ever lay their hands on it. I resigned myself to the fact that Kyouya wouldn't be talking to me, so I pulled out my book and started to read.

We sat in our comfortable silence all the way to the school. When we pulled up outside Ouran, the driver got out and opened the door for us to exit. Kyouya stepped out ahead of me, and then turned around to help me out. Once I was standing and had situated my bag on my shoulder we walked towards the entrance. As Kyouya and I walked side by side he turned to me and started to talk.

"We will be having hosting hours again today. Please be there promptly at 2:30. You can wait with any of the hosts you please, but when hours are over we will be leaving immediately. I have no time to dawdle," and with that he started to walk off, leaving me behind slightly stunned by his brusqueness. I shook it off, knowing this was just Kyouya's way, and trailed after him.

As I walked through the open front doors, a sudden chill went down my spine. I could feel a pair of eyes watching me, following my every move. I turned, looking all around and that's when my eyes found Neikan. Her eyes were trained on me, a scowl distorting her normally pretty face. I smiled and waved at her, feeling suddenly confident and a little feisty; I would not let her get the best of me. She locked her jaw tensely and I could tell she was annoyed that I wasn't falling prey to her.

I left her sulking behind me and continued into the school. I had studied the map of the school extensively last night so as not to have any repeat events of the day before. I threaded my way through the throngs of people lining the halls and made it to my first class of the day that I shared with Hunny and Mori. They were both already seated inside when I arrived and made my way down the aisle. I pulled the seat between them out and sat down.

"Good morning Shizu-chan! Who did you come to school with today?" Hunny asked me excitedly.

I sat up with my back very straight, pretending to push a pair of glasses up my nose, then picked up my notebook and pencil and feigned writing.

"You look just like Kyo-chan, Shizu-chan!" Hunny giggled, a giant smile on his face.

I heard a light, but deep chuckle from behind me and turned to see Mori, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth. I blushed, but fortunately the teacher walked in then and he turned away. I breathed a quick sigh and turned to a new page in my notebook for the lecture.

Class went by quickly and uneventfully and soon I was waving goodbye to Mori and Hunny and walking towards the music room. I managed to find my way there easily this time, which I was thankful of as I walked in on time. Tamaki was there but he was already seated at the piano with an instructor, so I ambled on over to the harp I was to be learning for the semester.

I set my bag down and studied the beautiful instrument before me. It was a light maple wood with gold accents intricately woven into it. I had never before seen anything look so strong and yet so delicate at the same time. I reached a hand out to run over the soft looking wood when I heard someone approaching. I drew my hand back and turned to see my teacher moving towards me, a smaller woman a few paces behind her.

"Miss Koi, I would like to introduce you to Wakana, she will your harp instructor for the semester," my teacher announced as the woman beside her bowed deeply. I bowed back to her as my teacher returned to the front of the classroom. Wakana walked around me and immediately started to point out the parts of the harp. I listened intently, pausing every few moments to make a note in my journal. She taught me the basics for the rest of the period; I learned how to properly sit with the harp resting lightly on my right shoulder, how to strum the strings using the tips of my thumbs and my first three fingers, and how to tune the harp. We were just going over the string names, which very luckily for me coincided with the keys of the piano. Eventually the period ended and I packed up, bowing to Wakana in thanks. Tamaki came over to immediately ask me how my instructions were going, so I smiled hoping he would see I was enjoying myself.

We left the music room for the day, catching up with Kyouya as we headed towards our chemistry class. The two argued amiably as we walked through the halls of Ouran. I was still getting used to the looks I received whenever I was with the hosts, but most of the time those looks were ones of jealousy. _Those girls want to be me, all because of the boys I am hanging out with? If only they knew what I have been through, maybe they would change their minds _I thought to myself as I watched Tamaki and Kyouya stop and turn, waiting for me to catch up. I smiled at them and quickened my pace.

Maybe those girls didn't know any better, but it was interesting, and in a way nice, to think that for once I wasn't the one longing to be someone else.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter wasn't the most exciting...it will be starting to get more interesting soon...I swear.**

**More about the names I've chosen: Shizuko's little roommates are Umeko and Akane. Umeko means "plum blossom" like her purple/plum colored eyes. Akane means "brilliant red" like her bright, curly red hair. Her harp instructor is Wakana which means "Harmonious music". Neikan, the girl who threatened Shizuko, means "wicked, treachorous" and Kuro, the guy who attacked Shizuko in the hall, means "black, dark" (together those names should maybe tell you a little about what's to come)**

**Enjoy and review review review as always!**


	11. Chapter 10

I was finally starting to get used to being a student at Ouran Academy. My days were falling into a very pleasant routine; I would wake up early and prepare in the morning before the host of the day would arrive and whisk me away to school. I listened attentively in class when my professors lectured, taking careful notes, and practiced the harp in every spare moment. I was becoming quite skilled at it too, if I did say so myself. When classes concluded for the day, I would make my way to Music Room #3 where I would work on assignments or read, and more often than not, observe the hosts in their natural habitat.

Today was no different. I had left for school punctually at 7:15 with the twins, who had talked my ears off the entire ride. Classes had been interesting as always and I had made great advances on the harp piece I was learning. Currently, I found myself sitting at the table I frequented in the back of the music room working on some homework for an American history class I was taking, while taking the occasional glance around the room at the hosts.

They each had a "type"; Kyouya had informed me when he once caught me viewing them. Tamaki was the "princely" type, always dashing and charming to a fault. The twins were the "little devils", feisty and quick witted, with a flair for the…unconventional romance. Kyouya was the "cool" type; aloof and mysterious, watching, seeing, and knowing all. Haruhi was "natural", which confused me, as there was nothing natural about her situation as a host. Finally there was Mori and Hunny who, like the twins, were presented as a package. Hunny was the "boy-Lolita", the adorable 18-year-old with a love for all things pink and sweet, especially his Usa-chan and cake. And always faithfully beside him was Mori, classified as the "wild" type because…well truthfully I was not quite sure. I probably would have branded him the "strong silent" type for obvious reasons.

I had yet to figure Mori…Takashi…out, and it quite distressed me. I could usually read people unusually well, and I did not relish the fact that he was throwing off my senses.

Suddenly, as if he could tell I had been thinking about him, he looked directly at me. I paled and turned away quickly, my assignment becoming a lot more interesting at that moment. I leaned my forehead against the table; _how could I let him catch me staring at him...again!_ I darted a quick glance back in his direction, but something was obscuring my view. I jumped at the person's sudden appearance and looked up to see it was…of course who else could it be...Mori.

I offered him a weak smile, putting my hand over my heart as I willed the thing, still racing from the small fright he had given me, to slow down. He kept his steady gaze fixed on me, a hint of confusion evident on his face.

"I brought you some cake. I thought you might be hungry," he stated as he placed a slice of strawberry cake in front of me, then handed me a fork. My smile grew ever so slightly; to think…he had been thinking about _me_. I bowed my head to say _thanks,_ and then thought maybe he'd like to sit with me. So I swept my hand over to the chair on the opposite side of the table and shrugged, hoping he would understand I was inviting him to sit down.

"Ah, thanks," he replied a little hesitantly. Nevertheless, he pulled out the chair and sat down. I knew we couldn't really have a conversation but just being in someone's presence was sometimes enough. If he wanted to say something, he could, and I would reply to the best of my abilities. Besides, any individual, not to mention one with Mori's calm nature, would need a break from a character like Hunny at some point.

* * *

"Who does she think she is, coming in here and stealing our hosts?" Neikan growled to one of her followers as they watched Mori bring some cake over to Shizuko. "She isn't as beautiful as us, or as rich as us, so what do they even see in her?"

"I don't know Neikan, she is pretty nice and she's really smart, she's even in some of my classes," a third year girl named Yori responded.

"Oh quiet Yori, no one cares what you think," Neikan scoffed as she shoved her away. Yori pouted but stayed close to hear what else her leader Neikan had to say.

"Personally, I think she's getting a little too close to my Mori for comfort," another third year named Rin muttered, "There's no way that conniving little commoner, with nothing to her name, could compare to me."

"You're absolutely right Rin," Neikan smirked evilly, "you shouldn't have to compete with the likes of her for Mori's affections. That's why we are going to do something about her before she gets too out of hand. And the best part girls…she won't even be able to yell for help."

* * *

Mori hadn't stayed for very long as he was needed back with Hunny to host. We had sat in a comfortable silence for a while, me working on my homework as Mori moved between watching Hunny and watching me. I didn't know what he found so fascinating about seeing me type on my computer, but I consistently could feel his steady gaze on me as I finished editing my paper.

Not long after he left, however, Kyouya stood up and announced the end of hosting hours for the day. As the girls were all packing up their belongings, the hosts gathered in a small conference by the entrance. _I wonder what they could be discussing_, I thought. No sooner had the thought had crossed my mind than the little huddle disbanded and Tamaki clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention.

The room quieted as their prince Tamaki began to speak.

"My sweet princesses," Tamaki began as the girls giggled in anticipation, "I am happy to inform you that in honor of a new year here at Ouran, and a new year with the host club, we will be holding a masquerade ball this upcoming weekend. We extend an invitation to you all. Would you be so kind as to bring your beautiful selves and grace us with your presence for the night?" Tamaki finished with a sweeping bow and the room exploded into exited chatter.

The hosts opened the doors and ushered the overly excited females out; the girls were so beyond thrilled at the prospect of the ball that they practically trampled the hosts on their way out in a rush to begin finding the perfect dress.

I rolled my eyes at the bubbly girls and their boy preoccupied minds. How nice it was to not have to worry about the trivialities of dresses and parties and….

"We'll be expecting you to be there Shizuko, as the guest of honor of course!" Tamaki interrupted my thoughts, bringing me crashing back down to Earth.

My eyes grew wide and I waved my hands back and forth in front of me, shaking my head no all the while. There was undeniably no way they could persuade me to attend that ball. I didn't own ball gowns, or fancy shoes and masks; I was simply not masquerade ball material.

The hosts had started to gather before me as I continued to tell Tamaki no. The twins, Hunny, and even Haruhi (just slightly) looked sadly at me while Kyouya never even brought his gaze from his tablet. I couldn't quite read Mori's expressions, but his eyes showed just a hint of disappointment. I brought my hands to my lap and sighed, letting my head drop and dangle between my shoulders.

I felt Tamaki put his hand on my shoulder and looked up to see him smiling sadly at me.

"Why won't you come Shizuko? We really would love to have you there," Tamaki pleaded. I sighed again and grabbed my notebook to write:

"Why would you want me there? I'm not the kind of girl who goes to balls. I'm not a social butterfly. I wouldn't know how to act, or what to wear. I wouldn't have anything towear in the first place. I'd probably embarrass myself, or you."

The hosts took turns reading my note. When they had all finished Tamaki kneeled down in front of me and spoke:

"No, you aren't the most social individual, and most definitely not the kind of girl who goes to balls. But I believe that is why I am being so adamant about your attending. You aren't like the majority of the girls who frequent the host club; you're a breath of fresh air to us."

Hikaru cut him off then to say, "And don't worry about what to wear. Kaoru and I want to design something for you. Our mother is a fashion designer you know?"

Tamaki smiled, "See we will all help you!" To which all the other hosts nodded in agreement.

Surprisingly, it was Kyouya who spoke next. "If you're worried about embarrassing yourself, you can't do any worse than Haruhi at her first ball. She kissed another girl."

"Thanks senpai for bringing that up again," Haruhi grumbled as the rest of the hosts all began to laugh. I giggled then too; I wasn't sure how they always managed to make me feel so comfortable with myself. They all looked on expectantly as I put my hands up in defeat. I shrugged and nodded yes; they had convinced me.

The twins high-fived each other as Hunny took a flying leap into my lap to hug me. Haruhi smiled, clearly pleased, while Tamaki had started daydreaming about Haruhi in a dress (which was not going to be happening). Kyouya had gone back to his tablet, which left Mori, who was smiling softly at me. I blushed and sent him back a smile over Hunny's shoulder.

Hunny jumped off my back to go to talk to Kyouya about what types of cakes he wanted at the ball, which finally left me free to move. I stored my notebooks and computer back in my messenger bag and closed it, ready to leave for the day. The twins each grabbed one of my hands and pulled me towards the door, more than ready to begin designing the dress and mask I was to be wearing.

I had never thought I would be going to a ball, much less one wear I'd be wearing a dress designed specifically for me and be the guest of honor to a very attractive group of young men.

Maybe a masquerade ball would be enjoyable after all.

* * *

"They're making _her_ the guest of honor?" Neikan fumed as she let the door to Music Room #3 fall softly closed. "We have to save them from themselves! She's brainwashed our poor boys!"

"Well, what do you suggest we do Neikan?" Yori piped up.

"Yori my dear, what an excellent question. I…" Neikan opened her mouth, and then shut it abruptly. "Well I'm not quite sure yet, but this masquerade will be a perfect cover. Whatever I come up with will have Shizuko wishing she could scream."

"Did you say Shizuko?" a gravelly voice came from behind Neikan.

"Maybe I did. Who's asking?" Neikan retorted.

"The name's Kuro. Shizuko and I have a bit of a history, and there's something I've been meaning to do to…I mean _give_ to her," the guy corrected himself, snickering.

Rin looked apprehensively at Kuro. "I don't know Neikan, I've heard things about this guy, none of them very pleasant." Kuro winked at Rin and she shivered.

"Nothing pleasant you say Rin?" Neikan smirked. "Sounds about the kind of guy I need. Care to talk, Kuro-san?"

"It would be my pleasure," Kuro's mouth twisted into a hideous grin.

The two walked away, plotting deviously, leaving Yori and Rin gulping nervously behind. They weren't quite sure they liked the sound of whatever Neikan and Kuro were planning, but Neikan was their leader so she was right…right?

* * *

**Dun dun dun... what could Neikan and Kuro be planning together? Whatever it is...it isn't good. **

**Now do you want a say in what Shizuko wears to the ball? If you do, choose one of the following colors/color combinations:**

**Red, Black/Gold, Silver, Midnight Blue, Emerald Green, Gold**

**and Private Message me your choice. Whichever one has the highest votes before my next update will decide what dress Shizuko wears (i'll provide pics!)**

**If you don't care... oh well. Don't bother messaging me!**

****Update: ****Current Scores - Red(0) Black/Gold(0) Silver(1) Midnight Blue(5) Emerald Green(0) Gold(0) Pink/Pastel(1)**

**I had someone suggest pink/pastel so I'll throw it in. **

**If you haven't voted yet, I'm closing the voting Friday night.**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. You guys are awesome as always!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Thank you to everyone that voted on Shizuko's dress. The total scores ended up being: Midnight Blue(8) Silver(2) Emerald Green(1) Black/Gold(1) Pink(1) Red(0) so obviously...Midnight Blue is our winner! Congratulations if you voted for it :) Sorry if you didn't :( **

**Either way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Hosts' Masquerade Ball was all anyone could talk about for the next three days. The girls of Ouran gossiped about their dresses and masks and shoes. They flaunted what designers they would be wearing and whom they would be going with (the hosts had opened the ball up to all students at the school, considering there were only five of them and they couldn't be dancing with all the girls at once).

The girls weren't the only ones preparing endlessly; the hosts had the majority of the work in planning the biggest event of the year. They debated bands and orchestras and catering, decorations and lighting. Arrangements were made for a horse drawn carriage and an artist was hired to paint couples if they so desired.

Needless to say, everyone was in a state about the grand affair.

Shizuko, on the other hand, was dreading the night more than anything. The minute she had agreed to be their guest of honor, she had regretted it. She despised being the center of attention, and goodness knew she would be, wearing whatever those damned Hitachiin twins manufactured for her. She could only begin to imagine the decadence and frill; Shizuko had never been much of a "girly" girl, and she feared the twins showing up with a dress reminiscent of one of Hunny's strawberry cakes.

She was amazed, however, at the ability of the host club to organize such an extravagant event in three short days. Hours had been cancelled for the rest of the week to allow for the hosts to plan. Shizuko had not been allowed to wait in Music Room #3 for those days as the hosts (Tamaki) wished for the ball to be a complete surprise. Instead, she spent her afternoons hiding from giggling girls in her music classroom, practicing the harp.

Today was the last day before the masquerade ball and Shizuko had once again made her way to Music Room #1 to squeeze in some more rehearsal time. She was working on her newest piece, the classical harp piece "Arabesque" by Claude Debussy. Her eyes drifted shut as she let her fingers glide over the strings, seeing the right notes and strings drift by in her head. She let her head fall forward as she started to lose herself in the music. As smile crept its way onto her face and soon she was completely immersed in the song. She was so into playing that she didn't even hear or notice when the door quietly opened and a lone figure slipped inside.

Hunny and Mori had walking to meet the rest of the host club in Music Room #3, passing by Music Room #1 on the way, when they heard the soft melodic tones of a harp slip out from beneath the door. Mori's ears perked up at the sound; Hunny saw out of the corner of his eye Mori suddenly straighten his back and turn his head in the direction of the music room.

"You should go see who is playing, Takashi. I know how much you love the harp," Hunny whispered.

"Ah," Mori replied, already moving to open the door, barely hearing what Hunny was saying anymore. He quietly pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to find Shizuko alone inside, eyes closed, moving her fingers delicately through the strings of the beautiful harp. He moved closer, watching intently as she plucked at the strings. He hadn't known she could play the harp, but he was indeed pleased to find out she could.

Mori watched intently as she leaned into the harp, as if she were becoming one with the instrument. He had never seen someone look so gentle, and yet so powerful, as Shizuko did in that moment. Music, he realized then, was how Shizuko communicated; she could express what she was trying to say through whatever piece she was playing at the time.

He stood motionless, observing the way her hands caressed the strings. Behind him, the door opened again and Hunny's small face peered inside to see how his cousin was faring. A knowing smile crossed his face when he saw Mori gazing attentively at their new friend; he had never seen Mori look so transfixed by anything, but somehow he had known something like this would transpire. Ever since they had met Shizuko, Hunny could sense Mori was drawn to her. Hunny slowly backed out of the doorframe to wait outside once more. Mori would join him again when he was ready.

The song started winding down and Mori knew he should leave then, before Shizuko realized he had been there and watching her. He didn't want to leave the intoxicating sound, or girl, behind, but he turned towards the door and softly pried it open. He looked back at Shizuko once more before exiting the room, but it would be quite some time before she would exit his mind.

* * *

Tamaki's chauffeur opened the limo door to let me out when we reached the Azumi center. Tamaki had questioned me the entire way home on my thoughts about the ball. Was I excited? Hardly. Would I want a portrait done of myself? That would not be very likely. How about a horse drawn carriage ride? Well, that I might agree to.

I had sat silently as he rambled on and on about how extravagant the night would be. As we had drawn closer to my stop, however, he had grown rather silent. We were now standing silently on the front steps, waiting for Chizu to let me in, and the silence was beginning to make me feel anxious. I turned to Tamaki and saw a thoughtful expression covering his face. _I wonder what he's thinking about so meticulously._ Suddenly he looked up with a smile.

"Before I leave you tonight, before the next time I see you is at the ball, I would like to make one small request. Tomorrow night, in return for all we have done for you, I request that you save one dance for each host," he stated.

I was faintly startled by the request, but I gave it a moment of thought and decided it was not a horribly garish demand and I could very well comply. I nodded a simple yes in reply and Tamaki's smile grew into a beam.

Chizu opened the door at that moment. Tamaki bowed to me once then turned on his heel. As he walked away he turned back to yell over his shoulder, "We shall see you tomorrow my princess!" And then he was gone.

I squeezed my eyes shut. What had I gotten myself into?

* * *

The next morning, promptly at noon, the twins arrived with their hair and makeup team in tow. Jin, the Azumi maid, joined in to help as well, gushing about how beautiful I would look, and how I would surely find a suitor there. She would never give up trying to set me up, would she?

My hair was the first piece of my appearance they decided to tackle. The crew pulled my hair back and brushed it to within an inch of its life, pulling at tangles and complaining about split ends. A small trim fixed those up, and some spray (which smelled of coconuts) left my hair silky smooth. They combed it to the side and began styling it into long finger waves, reminiscent of the 20s era of the flappers. They added some volume and left it pulled and pinned over to the right side of my head. When they were done, I had to admit, my hair had never looked more elegant.

Next my makeup was done. Considering I was to be wearing a mask, not much was done with my eye makeup, though a layer of silver eye shadow and a thin midnight blue liner were applied. Some midnight blue mascara was next, extending my eyelashes and accentuating my ice blue eyes. Some foundation evened out my skin tone and some deep pink blush was swiped across my cheeks. A soft, natural colored lipstick was applied to my lips and my makeup was complete.

While my makeup and hair were being done, the twins had vacated the room to put the finishing touches on my dress. They had been gone some time, and I had begun to count in my head just how many bows could be added to a dress in that amount of time, when the door creaked open and the twins walked back in. They each held one end of a garment bag, a very large garment bag might I add. I gulped as they attached it to a mirror and unzipped it. They smiled mischievous little grins at each other before pulling the gown in its entirety out of the bag.

I would have gasped if I could, but I was too stunned to make a sound. The gown had to be the most beautiful garment I had ever seen. It was a deep midnight blue lace, embroidered exquisitely with beading. It had a plunging V-neck neckline (for which I was very glad at the moment to not be very endowed) and a thin midnight blue leather belt at the natural waistline.

I stood up and ran my hand over the material, feeling the smooth fabric beneath my fingers. Tears started to pool in my eyes, for I had never considered the idea that one day I would be wearing a dress this stunning. I turned and was about to hug each of the twins in thanks when Hikaru spoke up.

"Don't thank us yet Shizuko, there is more to your ensemble," and he pulled another smaller bag out from behind his back. He opened it up carefully and first pulled out a pair of shoes.

I cringed. I had never before laid my eyes on a pair of heels that high. I would undoubtedly twist my ankles in those monstrosities. Hikaru handed me the pair and I eyed them nervously. They were midnight blue closed toed pumps, matching the shade of the gown impeccably, and covered in sparkles. They had a polished silver underside and a matching silver ankle strap. _At least there is a strap to keep me from walking out of them,_ I thought nervously as I set them down.

I was afraid what other evils Hikaru's bag could be hiding, but I looked back in his direction nonetheless. He smiled and laughed, "With a neckline like that, we had to get you a necklace," then proceeded to pull a velvet box out of the bag. He opened it and inside laid a delicate white gold chain with a large diamond and sapphire pendant. Countless smaller diamonds, with three more diamonds on top to create a leaf shape, surrounded one large sapphire. He held the box out to me and I took it and set it next to the shoes.

Kaoru stepped forward then. "Lastly, the pièce de résistance, your mask." A midnight blue mask was procured from the bag and Kaoru gently laid it in my outstretched hands. It was large, and while it looked rather heavy it was made from a very light white gold. A mess of leaves entwined themselves around two eyeholes. I held it up lightly to my face and noticed it covered from my forehead to just below my cheekbones, covering the brim of my nose. Leaves jutted off the side, past my temples and cheeks. It was as extravagant a mask as I had ever seen, and I knew it would pull the look together flawlessly.

The room was silent for a few moments before the twins spoke up together, breaking it.

"You can thank us now," they declared, and I strode over to them, pulling them in for one giant hug. I hoped they could tell just how grateful I was, not only for creating a classy, elegant look for me, but for also **not** dressing me up like a cupcake. We pulled away, and Hikaru yelled, "Come on we haven't got all day! Ladies, get Shizuko into this dress! Kaoru and I must be on our way; we have to look good too you know!"

* * *

The clock struck 7 as a limo pulled up outside. The hosts had sent me my own chauffeured limousine for the night, as they would all need to be present before I got there and could therefore not escort me. I had practiced walking around in my horrid heels before stepping into the dress, lest I ruin it by tripping before I even arrived at Ouran.

I made my way down the stairs and into the foyer where Chizu, Jin, and some of the children were waiting. Chizu ran up to me and pulled me into a bear hug.

"Oh Shizuko, you look absolutely gorgeous. If your mom could see what a stunning young woman you have grown into, she would be so proud."

I smiled lovingly at my mother figure and turned to Jin, who complimented me profusely before reminding me to find someone who would treat me well. I rolled my eyes, but hugged her as well before turning to face the door. Chizu and Jin each took a handle and opened the double doors to let me through. I picked up the sides of the dress so as not to let the train (yes there was a train) drag across the floor, and stepped outside to the waiting limo.

The night air was cool and a slight wind blew by, sending a small shiver up my spine. The chauffer escorted me to the limousine, and then opened the car door to let me in. I gracefully stepped inside, pulling the rest of the dress in behind me, as he shut the door. I took a deep breath as I felt the car lurch forward and pull off of the gravel drive.

As the car pulled away I began to shake ever so slightly. I couldn't begin to imagine what this night would have in store for me. I couldn't even believe this night was truly happening. I had to look down and reassure myself I was really wearing what I thought I was, and that I was really sitting in the backseat of a limo. I was on my way to a masquerade ball; I smiled to myself. When would I ever get to say that again?

The drive over to Ouran flew by, and as we pulled up I saw every shade of the rainbow waiting outside. Flocks of girls and their dates mulled about in the courtyard and many more could be seen already inside, dancing away the night. I took a nervous gulp as the driver opened the door.

"Miss Koi, are you ready?" he asked me. I shook my head and took his hand as he helped me out of the car, and into what was sure to be an unforgettable night.

* * *

**So who's ready for the ball? I know I am!**

**There are links in my profile to pictures of everything Shizuko is wearing: the dress, shoes, necklace, mask, and even her hair. The mask is the same design in the story, but I made it silver/white gold instead of normal yellow gold because I needed it to match and I can.**

**And because it's been a while, you get two chapters for the price of one! So go read the next one, and don't forget to review!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Masquerade time! Who wants to see some cute Shizuko/Mori time? Well, then go read!**

**A picture of what the hosts are wearing can be found, along with the pictures of what Shizuko is wearing, in my profile if you so desire to see.**

**Also There is a scene in this chapter where Shizuko dances. I chose two songs to specifically go with that section, so if you want to, go listen to "All'Improvviso Amore" by Josh Groban and "Falling Slowly" (any version is fine, but again I prefer Josh Groban) while you read. Have fun!**

* * *

The masquerade ball was in full swing.

Girls were being gracefully spun around the dance floor by their dates. The band was playing song after song as the partygoers chatted at tables, all the while feasting on the most delectable foods and deserts. The hosts wandered from group to group, mingling with the girls and entertaining the masses. They invited the occasional wallflower or dateless girl to dance, making the moments' lucky girl swoon and squeal with delight.

The grand staircase at the entrance to Ouran made a runway for arriving guests, as they each made their way down and onto the main floor. This gave whoever had just arrived a moment in the spotlight while also allowing those already below the time to examine and gossip about the newcomer. However, the biggest excitement was guessing who was who. The more elaborate the mask, the more difficult it was to tell who was hidden beneath.

The hosts were all wearing matching suits and masks, though their masks, vest, and ties were their signature colors: Tamaki white, Kyouya lavender, Hikaru light blue, Kaoru orange, Haruhi red, Hunny pink, and Mori midnight blue. Their suits were light silver, almost white, with a shirt and slacks of the same color, and the coat had tails. They each wore a half mask, as Tamaki claimed it made them appear more mysterious, like the phantom from Phantom of the Opera. The mask was a typical Venetian style, made to look worn and cracked, with some delicate swirls placed around. Altogether, they made a very handsome group.

As the night drew on, the hosts all began to go their separate ways. Tamaki floated elegantly from girl to girl (keeping a close eye on Haruhi), while Kyouya managed the staff and band. Hikaru and Kaoru were dancing with each other, much to the delight of their adoring fans. Haruhi was sitting with a group of girls, discussing the history of the masquerade ball. Hunny had located the desert table and was currently eating his weight in cake. Mori was the only one who looked to not be having a grand time.

He was sitting in a chair by a window, looking out over the gardens below. Mori had danced with his fair share of girls for the night and really only wanted to dance with one more, who had yet to make an appearance. He sighed, taking his mask off and rubbing at his tired eyes. He glanced over to make sure Hunny was still alright – he was – then turned his gaze back to the flowers below. He put his mask back on then closed his eyes to rest for a moment, but no sooner than his eyelids had fallen shut, they were yanked open when two pairs of hands pulled him up and started pushing him towards the front of the room.

"Hey Mori, I think someone just got here that you should really see," Hikaru whispered to him as they walked. Mori looked confusedly at Hikaru before Kaoru poked at his tie getting his attention.

"And oh look, you two match? Midnight blue, really, what a coincidence…" Kaoru smirked delightedly. Now it was Kaoru's turn to receive Mori's confused stare.

"Oh just look up already, Mori," Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison, coming to a stop at the foot of the stairs and turning his head forward.

Mori did as they said and looked up to the top of the staircase. He let out a small gasp as his eyes came to rest on the most gorgeous figure gliding gently down towards him.

She was wearing a long midnight blue dress that shimmered as she walked, the light being reflected off intricate beading. A dangerously low V-neck exposed just enough of her small chest to make him blush, but he was unable to turn away. A thin belt cinched the dress in at her waist, accentuating just how small she was. The dress flowed out from there in an A-line, with a small train trailing behind. A pendant decorated the space just below her collarbone, and her hair had been done into delicate waves that were currently draped over her right shoulder. An elaborate silver leaf covered mask, so light it almost matched her platinum blonde hair, covered her face, but her ice blue eyes shone through. He would have recognized those eyes anywhere; they had been plaguing his mind for days.

"Shizuko…" he breathed out, unable to coherently say anything else. Behind him the twins grinned evilly before high fiving and walking away hand in hand.

Mori couldn't stop staring at the angel (for that was the only way to accurately describe how she looked) before him. She made her way to the last step and came to a stop in front of Mori. In a move that would have made Tamaki proud, he bowed down and took her hand to give it a quick kiss. Shizuko blushed and shyly smiled at him.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked her before he lost his nerve. She hadn't stopped smiling as she shook her head yes and followed him out onto the dance floor.

* * *

I walked through the double doors, which had been propped open to let in the fresh night air, and stopped at the top of the stairs. Glancing quickly around the room I located the hosts, for they were the only ones I really knew, before beginning to make my way down the grand staircase. I held my dress up so as not to trip on the train and stepped carefully onto the first step. I looked down at my feet as step after step I made my way to the floor, my heart pounding in my chest the closer I got. Nervously I turned my gaze up and my eyes found Mori standing directly in my path at the foot of the stairs.

_When did he get there? _I wondered, before I saw Hikaru and Kaoru standing directly behind him exchange a high five. _Those two are up to something, and I'm not so sure I want to find out what. _

I slowed down my walk ever so slightly, knowing that when I reached the last step I would have to acknowledge Mori. He hadn't taken his eyes off of me, and it was making my heartbeat even faster, but I could not tell you why. I had never felt so unnerved before, and yet I couldn't look away from him. He looked so striking in his silver suit and midnight blue accents. I blushed, suddenly realizing why the twins had looked so accomplished; Mori and I were matching. _Those little devils, they had this planned all along!_

I placed my foot down on the last step and stood before Mori. He leaned forward in a graceful bow and grabbed my hand, kissing it softly. I had never seen Mori act so forward before, but it was a pleasant divergence from his normally stoic self. I blushed at the contact and sent him a small smile.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked me, somewhat apprehensively. I nodded quickly to let him know he didn't have to be nervous; we were friends, he didn't need to be nervous around me.

I followed him out onto the dance floor, my small hand still held in his large warm one. We reached the center of the floor and he turned me to face him. He bowed before placing one of his hands on my waist, the other taking hold of one of my hands. I placed my other hand on his shoulder, being tall enough to reach it in my heels. I was almost taller than him, I thought suddenly embarrassed, but he didn't seem to notice.

A slightly up-tempo song was starting to be played by the band as Mori began to lead me delicately. We waltzed around, Mori smiling down at me as I gazed up into his eyes. I had never realized just how beautiful a dark gray they were. They shone through the blue of his mask, and I fell into them. In turn, he was looking into my eyes so intensely I felt he was staring straight into my soul.

My heart rate had yet to slow down, and if the night continued as well as it had begun, I had a feeling it would not cease its racing. Mori spun me around a few times more before the song came to an end and a slower piece took its place. In another move uncharacteristically Mori, he pulled me closer as we settled into a slow back and forth movement.

We stayed like that for a few more songs, before I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Tamaki waiting.

"I apologize Mori, but might I cut in for a dance with Shizuko-san?" he asked of Mori. Mori looked torn between leaving me and disobeying his boss, but eventually he bowed his head and left me with Tamaki.

Not that dancing with Tamaki wasn't enjoyable, it was, for Tamaki was a great dancer, but it was different from dancing with Mori. I didn't know why but I realized I missed the feel of his hand on my waist, of his hand engulfing mine, and I wanted more than anything to be back with him. I had never felt this way, and before I could stop the thought from crossing my mind it had planted itself: _was I falling for Takashi Morinozuka?_

* * *

"We need to move soon before the hosts fall anymore under her spell," Neikan grimaced as she watched Tamaki spin Shizuko around the ballroom. She turned to her posse of Rin, Yori, and Kuro and crossed her arms. "After tonight, we won't have to deal with her anymore."

Kuro grinned evilly at Neikan. "You can have the hosts, I just want to get my message across to Shizuko."

Yori and Rin exchanged a nervous glance as Kuro and Neikan started to go over the plan again. They wanted the hosts to forget about Shizuko, but they weren't sure scaring her into leaving Ouran was the way to go about it. Still, they didn't want to upset Neikan, so they joined back into the conversation and went over their parts once more.

"I'll go plant the note. We have an hour until the clock strikes midnight, and when it does, you all know where to be. Don't let me down." Neikan narrowed her eyes. "This is going to be one unforgettable night for Miss Koi."

* * *

Not being one to rescind promises, I spent the next while dancing a few dances with each of the hosts. They were each excellent dancers, and I enjoyed dancing with every single one of them, even Haruhi (though it was a little tricky considering we were both girls and I was nearly a head taller than her in my heels). It was very nearly midnight by now and though dancing had been lovely for a short time, my feet were wishing to take a rest and my stomach had so ungracefully rumbled a few times. I bowed gracefully to Kyouya who I had just completed a series of waltzes with, excusing myself to go get some food.

As I walked towards the refreshments table, a waiter approached me. "Are you Miss Shizuko Koi?" he asked me.

I shook my head yes, and he handed me a note. "A young man told me to give this note to you," he finished before walking away.

I unfolded the note and read the carefully written lettering.

_Shizuko, I have been watching you for some time now. I have never been drawn to someone like I have been drawn to you. I am not very good with words, but please allow me the chance to explain my feelings for you. Meet me in the rose gardens at midnight. I will be waiting. TM_

TM…Takashi Morinozuka? Mori had written this note for me? My heart started its overactive beating once more as I looked around the room and indeed noticed Mori had seemed to disappear. I stole a look at the clock and noticed it said 11:55. _Five minutes to midnight...oh, what do I do? _I took a deep breath and, thinking back to my earlier realization, decided to go meet him. _He might feel the same way I do, _I thought as I stood up and hurried towards and up the stairs, then out the door towards the garden.

* * *

Rin had asked Mori to join her outside by the fountain just as Neikan has advised her to. She was currently distracting him with whatever topic she could think of. She could tell he was bored and itching to get back inside, but being too much of a gentleman to do or say anything to offend her.

Rin was beginning to get nervous about being so close to the host she had so long ago fallen in love with. He had never so much as batted an eye at her, and she was beginning to lose hope that he might ever love her back. She had decided this would be the year she would confess her love to him, but then Shizuko had made an entrance. Rin could tell the hosts all adored her, and Mori might like her more than just friends. When Neikan had suggested teaching Shizuko a lesson she had agreed wholeheartedly…at first. But then Neikan had started to change…especially when Kuro had come into the plan.

Everyone knew Neikan was the president of the Tamaki Suou fan club and would do anything her prince desired. So when it appeared Tamaki had found a new interest, even if it wasn't a romantic interest, Neikan had snapped. Every waking moment since then, Yori and Rin had watched their leader plan and organize ways to get Shizuko to leave Ouran. When the ball had been announced, Neikan had decided that night would be the perfect timing.

Rin watched as Mori tried to covertly look at his watch. She sighed. She was running out of things to say to him. A glazed look had crossed his eyes, and he wasn't really even listening to what she was saying anymore. Rin knew his mind was on something, or someone, else. They had only been together for maybe 20 minutes, and she knew Neikan might need some more time, but she couldn't think of anything else to occupy his time. She sighed and said to him, "Thank you for your time Mori, I really appreciate it. I won't keep you any longer."

Mori stood up and bowed to Rin before turning to leave, but he was stopped by a cry of "wait!" from Rin and her hand on his wrist. She yanked him back and threw herself at him, crushing her lips to his.

Mori's eyes opened widely at the sudden kiss, freezing and not knowing what to do. He was too kind to push her off, but he needed to get away from her somehow. Before he could react, though, Rin had pulled back.

"I'm so sorry Mori, I don't know what came over me," Rin quietly whispered.

"It's all right Rin," Mori began, "but I am afraid I have…"

A blood-curdling cry ripped through the cold night air, startling Mori and Rin. Rin gasped and without thinking whom she was in front of said, "Shizuko."

Mori whipped his head around at the mention of Shizuko's name. "Where is she Rin!" he exclaimed, suddenly very scared.

"The gazebo, in the rose maze. Go Mori, go now! I fear Neikan went too far this time…" Rin cried. And with that, Mori was off. As he ran towards the maze, his heart beating out of his chest, he thought to himself, terrified, what could make a girl who had made a lifelong promise to never speak again scream like that? He quickened his sprint, afraid of what he would find, and afraid he would find he was already too late.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNN...Cliffie! Oh no, what has happened to our lovely heroine? What will Mori see when he finds her? I guess you'll have to wait to find out.**

**The faster you review, the faster you find out! **

**Thanks again for sticking with me. Now go review so you can get another chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Alright I guess I've been mean enough. I guess you can have another chapter.**

**A big thanks to everyone who reviewed. I got a lot of hate from you guys about the cliffie (sorry!) but I had to do it. **

**But I felt horrible about leaving you guys in suspense with that cliffhanger. So I updated as quickly as I could. Hope it was fast enough! Now go find out what happened to Shizuko!**

* * *

Mori hadn't mentioned where in the rose garden to meet him, so I went straight to where I would have wanted to meet someone: the gazebo in the middle of the maze. My intuition proved correct as I turned the corner and saw a tall figure with spiked black hair standing with their back to me in the center of the structure. I approached him apprehensively; what would he say to me? How would I respond? How was my breath? _Why am I so worried?_

As I got closer, a chill ran down my spine. I didn't know what, but something didn't feel right. I made my way cautiously up the steps and stopped behind him. I reached down to put my hand on his shoulder…wait I reached down? _I shouldn't be taller then him._

I took a step back swiftly, tripping on my train in the process. I fell down hard, alerting the stranger of my presence. He turned around and my eyes widened in fear when I saw it was Kuro.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Koi. Fancy seeing you here. Well, I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise for me, considering it was I who sent the note, not your lover boy," he grinned down at me evilly. I tried to get up, but he placed his foot on my train, holding me in place.

"Don't leave so soon! I want to spend some time with you my dear. But first might I say just how lovely you look tonight?" He kneeled down next to me and grabbed my elbow. I glared daggers at him, baring my teeth and scowling. He just chuckled darkly and started dragging me to my feet.

As he pulled me up I managed to reach down with my free hand and grab one of my heels. I yanked it off and swung it around to ram it into his head, hoping he would release me. I wasn't fast enough however, and he grabbed my wrist, stopping me mid attack.

"Why Shizuko-san, I am appalled at your behavior! Why would you try to strike me? I only want to have a polite conversation with you!" He whined, feigning sadness. Still restraining me, he turned his head and called over his shoulder, "Oh Yori, where are you with that rope? Miss Koi isn't cooperating."

Turning back to me he shook his head in mock disappointment. "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice." He shoved me against the railing of the gazebo, holding me in place with his body, as a girl I assumed to be Yori walked up holding two lengths of rope in her hands. She looked down shamefully as she walked over and handed the rope over to Kuro. I lashed out with my feet hoping to maybe trip him, but Yori had come over to assist him, bending down and tying the second rope around my ankles.

Kuro in the meantime leaned forward and wrapped his rope around my waist, pulling it tightly around the opening in the railing, securing my hands behind my back in the process, and knotted it intricately.

I struggled against my bonds, but it was no use; they were so tightly coiled I couldn't move. He leaned back to admire his handiwork, and then flicked his wrist at Yori, waving his hand and dismissing her. She looked back once, a look of sorrow on her face, as she walked away.

"Now that's better isn't it?" he asked me.

I spat in his face, which only angered him more. He wiped at his face, then stormed over and slapped me. "Show a little respect, would you?"

I continued to glare at him as he took to pacing in front of me. Then he began to talk.

"Now, I bet you're wondering why I'm here. You remember the first time we met? You remember your little boy toy coming by and breaking my nose? Well, I don't take kindly to people beating me up; in fact I'm the one who usually does the beatings around here. Still, it was your fault my nose was broken. Mori did it defending you. So I think you deserve a little punishment."

He leaned in to me, his hot breath on my face, and continued to speak in a whisper. "I never finished with you in the hall, did I? Well, today is your lucky day I guess." And then he leaned in and roughly shoved his mouth onto mine.

His tongue darted out licking my lips as he tried to pry them apart. I squirmed against him, trying to twist my head away to the side, but his hand came up and held my head forward. He continued to disgustingly kiss me for a few more unbearably long seconds before pulling away, leering at me as if I were a piece of meat.

"You really are very beautiful Shizuko. I wonder what you look like beneath the dress," he came towards me and placed his hand on my shoulder, sliding one of the straps of my dress down, exposing my chest. I closed my eyes, willing myself not to cry as he began to grope me. Suddenly I heard a pair of footsteps approaching.

Kuro stopped and turned around. I was afraid to open my eyes and see who was there, but then the mystery individual spoke up and instantly I knew who it was.

"Alright, your time is up pervert. It's my turn to teach this bitch a lesson," I heard Neikan say.

"Hey, now wait a minute, you said I could finish with her, and I'm not done," Kuro spat at her. I opened my eyes slightly to see what was going on before me. Kuro was directly in Neikan's face, growling at her as she stood looking bored.

"Yeah well, I got bored waiting. And it's my plan, so it's my rules. Now I say you're done. Goodbye," and she shoved him aside and sauntered over to me.

"Well hello there, Shizuko. Remember me? I told you if you didn't stay away from the boys I would have to do something about it. You didn't listen to me, so look…here I am doing something about it." Her hands had been clasped behind her back up until this point, but she unfolded them and I saw a glint of silver.

She brought the knife around, running one of her fingers along the edge of it menacingly. Behind her I saw Kuro's face twist into a look of horror and confusion. "Neikan, you never said anything about this. We were just supposed to rough her up, get her to leave Ouran," he nervously choked out.

"Well, she'll definitely be out of Ouran now," she muttered back at him.

Kuro started to back away at this point. "Well, I'm out then. I don't want to get mixed up in this!" And he darted away, out of the gazebo and the maze.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me now," she hissed as she closed the space between us. She stopped short, giggled, and ran the knife down my cheek. Red flashed before my eyes as I felt the warm sticky blood drip down my cheek. But before I could react in any way, she had drawn her arm back and thrust the knife into my stomach.

I had never felt such a severe pain in my life. The world around me seemed to freeze as she retracted it slowly, laughing maniacally. The knife completely removed from my stomach, she shoved it in again, this time into my right side. Tears sprang into my eyes. _I'm going to die, aren't I? _I thought, utterly terrified as she pulled the knife out again. My vision was starting to fade out, my world turning to black as I saw her staring it me, regarding her work. In a last ditch effort to save myself, I opened my mouth and for the first time in 8 years a sound ripped from my throat. I heard myself let out a deafening scream before my world disappeared, and I fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Mori had never run faster in his life. Within seconds, he had left the fountain behind and was at the entrance to the maze. Having frequented the maze with the hosts, he knew by heart the fastest route to the center. He darted around corners like lightning, breathing heavily as he sprinted. He whipped his phone out as he ran, dialing emergency services without looking at the buttons.

His finger hovered over the call button as he turned the last corner. What he came to face on the other side exceeded his worst fears. Shizuko was unconscious, bound against the railing of the gazebo, one of her sleeves down, exposing her, with blood dripping down her cheek. More blood was flowing profusely from her side and her stomach. He felt weak and nauseous seeing her suspended there like that.

Neikan was standing in front of her, a knife drawn back in her hand, ready to strike again. Without thinking he charged forward, running straight at her. He grabbed her wrist as she jabbed it forward, stopping it from connecting with Shizuko. He knocked the knide from her hand before ramming his fist into her side. She staggered back, but Mori wasn't done. He picked Neikan up by the front of her dress and threw her out of the gazebo. She hit her head on the ground and went unconscious.

Seeing that Neikan was taken care of, he turned back to Shizuko and was about to hit the dial button when he heard Kyouya's voice from behind him.

"Rin came and got us, Mori. I've already called for an ambulance; they'll be here any minute. Just get Shizuko untied…please," he heard Kyouya's voice break.

Mori nodded and went to release Shizuko from her hold. The knots came undone quickly in his hands. He held her up as she sagged forward, now free. He pulled her down into his lap, taking off his jacket and balling it up, pressing it against the gash in her stomach. Her blood…there was so much blood…stained the silver jacket, but he didn't care. All he could think about was Shizuko.

He picked up her small wrist and took her pulse. It was barely there. Tears fell down his cheeks as he looked down at the dying girl in his arms. Sirens could be heard approaching in the distance.

Behind him he could hear Hunny sobbing. Hunny shouldn't have to see this; none of them should have to. He could hear Haruhi and the twins trying to console him, though they too were crying. Tamaki had fallen to the ground, his head in his hands. Kyouya had left to direct the Emergency Medical Technicians to their location.

"Please, hold on Shizuko," Mori whispered to her. The EMTs arrived then with a stretcher. He picked her up and rushed her down the stairs, laying her softly down on the bed. Time slowed as the EMTs strapped her down and placed an oxygen mask on her face. He watched as they pulled her away and out of the maze.

A few moments later some police came by and handcuffed the still unconscious Neikan. They loaded her onto another stretcher and rolled her away.

Mori stood frozen to his spot. Kyouya came up next to him, and placed his hand on his shoulder. "There's a limo waiting out front for us. We're sending the guests home and going to the hospital to wait. I've already called Chizu and she's on her way as well. Come on Mori, we need to go. You've done all you can for her."

Mori shook his head and followed Kyouya and the rest of the hosts solemnly to the waiting limo.

* * *

The ride over was silent as the hosts were all lost in thought and worry about their new friend. They couldn't begin to wonder what had possessed Neikan to act out in such a way.

Hunny had worn himself out from crying and was now asleep with his head in Mori's lap. Kaoru had his head against Hikaru's shoulder and Hikaru was running his hand through Kaoru's hair. Haruhi was sitting silently by Tamaki; Tamaki had his arms wrapped around her. This was the one time she wouldn't push him away. Kyouya was for once not writing anything or using his tablet, but was staring out the window of the limo.

They had all grown so accustomed to having Shizuko around. It had only taken a little over a month and a half for her to worm her way into their hearts. None of them could bear to think what would happen if she didn't make it out of this. Each host felt responsible for what had happened; they were the reason she was at Ouran.

The limo pulled up outside the hospital and they all climbed out without waiting for the driver to open the door. They piled in through the sliding glass doors, taking over the waiting room. None of them had uttered a word since leaving the garden, and no one was about to break the silence. They crowded into chairs around a small coffee table littered with magazines and waited.

And thus began the longest wait of their lives.

* * *

**Sorry, kind of another cliifhanger.**

**Well, what do you think is going to happen to Shizuko now? Do you think she will be ok? **

**You'll find out in the next chapter! **


	15. Chapter 14

**I swear I don't hate you guys...really. Cliff hanger just happen a lot around intense chapters! That being said, I felt bad so here's another fast update for you. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chizu rushed in through the sliding doors at the entrance to the hospital. She stopped and looked around, finding the hosts solemnly sitting together around a table in the corner, and stormed over to them.

"What happened to her? How could you let this happen to her? How could you let _anything _happen to her? I trusted you boys to keep her safe!" Chizu shouted at them.

The boys all hung their heads shamefully; Hunny looked like he was about to start crying again. Chizu stopped her ranting, seeing the looks of equal parts misery, worry, and guilt mirrored on the hosts' faces. She sighed and fell tiredly into a chair next to Mori, putting her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fly off the handle at you like that. I just worry so much about Shizuko. She's been with me for so long I consider her my own daughter. I just…" Chizu's voice broke and she burst into tears.

The hosts watched her cry, not knowing how to console the woman; they didn't even know how to comfort themselves. The lobby fell silent at this point, save the quiet sobs being emitted from Chizu. It could have been minutes, or maybe it was hours, that they waited there, their hearts breaking listening to Chizu.

Suddenly the swish of the front doors sliding open broke the silence, alerting them of a new presence in the room. They looked up and saw two police officers walking over to them. Mori recognized them quickly as some of the officers who had come and taken Neikan away.

"Are you the boys who called about the attack at Ouran Academy?" one of them asked.

"That would be me, Ootori Kyouya, that called," Kyouya spoke up, raising his hand slightly.

"Were you also the one who found the victim?" the officer asked again.

"No, I found her," Mori quietly replied.

"And you are?" the officer inquired, taking out a notepad.

"Morinozuka, Takashi," Mori stated, watching as the officer took down his name.

"Could you tell me, to the best of your ability, what happened tonight?" he continued, flipping to a new page.

Mori recounted his side of the story, as much as he could. Chizu, who had started to calm down, burst out into a fresh round of tears upon hearing the tale. When Mori finished, the officer turned to Chizu.

"Are you the victim's, Miss Koi's, legal guardian?" he asked her.

"Y-yes, I am," Chizu choked out, "I r-run the Azumi Children's Center, w-where Shizuko i-is…where Shizuko lives currently."

As the police questioned Chizu about Shizuko's background, the rest of the hosts went back to sitting in silence. Mori sat wringing his hands; he couldn't get the image of Shizuko, bleeding and unconscious, out of his mind. Her anguished cry rang in his ears. He could still feel her weak pulse beating slowly against his fingers. He could feel her lying limp in his arms.

Mori stood up unexpectedly, almost knocking his chair over, and walked out the doors of the hospital, leaving six confused hosts behind. Once he was outside, Mori walked to the nearest wall and slammed his fists into the bricks. Breathing heavily he pounded his fists repeatedly into the side of the building. He felt his skin tear, but he didn't stop. He had to get his anger and frustration out somehow.

Tamaki had followed Mori outside to make sure he didn't do anything stupid and was now watching his friend use the wall as a punching bag. He knew he should stop Mori before he managed to break them so he walked over and grabbed Mori's wrist before it could connect with the bricks once again.

Mori whipped around, glaring at Tamaki. Tamaki simply stared back at him, worry about his friend evident on his face. He let Mori's wrist go, and it fell limply back to Mori's side.

Mori's heart was racing as he continued to glower at Tamaki, but a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him and his resolve slipped. He sagged back against the wall and put his face in his hands.

"Why didn't I stay with her? Why didn't I get to her faster? How could I let this happen?" Words tumbled out of Mori's mouth. Tamaki had never heard so much emotion come from Mori, but he was glad Mori wasn't bundling it up inside. He put a hand up on his tall friend's shoulder and whispered to him, "why didn't any of us stay with her? We all heard her scream, why didn't any of us get to her faster? How could _we _let this happen?" Tamaki repeated. "Don't let all the responsibility fall on your shoulders Mori-senpai. We're all to blame for what happened to Shizuko. But we can't beat ourselves up over it. She will make it through this, she's strong I can tell, and you need to be in one piece when she wakes up, ok?"

Mori looked up and reluctantly nodded a few times at Tamaki before they turned to head back into the hospital. But when they walked through the doors, they noticed Chizu and the hosts had gathered around a man in dirty scrubs and a white lab coat: Shizuko's doctor. They hurried over, joining the group just in time to hear the doctor say, "…she's just gotten out of surgery and we've managed to stop all internal bleeding."

They all breathed a sigh of relief. But then the doctor continued to speak. "That being said she is still unconscious and we don't know when she will be waking up."

The hosts all looked at each other worriedly. The doctor, noticing their concerned expressions, spoke up yet again. "If you would like to see Miss Koi, you may now. I will warn you now though, you may not like what you see."

"We'll be fine, we just want to see her," Tamaki spoke for the group. They knew seeing her would be difficult, but they needed to see for themselves that she was still there. The doctor nodded and motioned for them to follow.

He pushed the door to the intensive care unit open and led them all down a narrow hall, then turned down another. A few more turns later and they stopped outside a door where Shizuko's name had been written on a whiteboard. He slowly opened the door, letting everyone follow in after him.

Shizuko lay deathly still on her cot, an IV connected to her hand, and various other wires taking her pulse and heart rate. A tube had been placed in her nose for food. Her entire mid section had been bandaged to keep the wounds from getting infected; another large bandage had been placed on her face, covering from just below her left eyebrow, over her left eye, and down to the corner of her mouth. Her wrists and ankles had also been bandaged, concealing where the ropes had cut into her flesh.

Mori clenched his fists; he couldn't bear to see her like this. She was so pale, like a ghost, and if he hadn't been able to see the very slow rise and fall of her chest he would have assumed her to be deceased. He walked over to her bedside and placed his hand on hers; maybe if she sensed someone – him – there she would wake up? But there was no change. He squeezed her hand and let go, walking back to where the hosts were all watching him.

"Unfortunately only family, or legal guardians, can stay in the room with the patients, so I must now ask you to leave. You can come back tomorrow during visiting hours," the doctor announced. The hosts understood, though they wanted to stay and make sure their friend was safe. They bowed goodbye to Chizu, who had set herself up in a chair beside Shizuko, and left the room. They walked out of the hospital together, departing in the limo that had waited patiently for them. It was almost 4 in the morning by now, so each host was dropped off at his (or her) house. The night had left each of them drained and ready for a good night's sleep, though they each knew sleep would be impossible for some time.

* * *

The next two days came and went by without much changed. During the daytime one host could be found at Shizuko's side at all times, each of them praying for her to wake up. Her vitals had started to stabilize, and her breathing patterns were returning to normal, but she would just not open her eyes. The doctor's figured her body had gone into a state of shock during the attack and yet to find its way out of it. So there Shizuko remained, lying on her cot, her chest slowly moving as she breathed.

The third day found the hosts once again with the comatose Shizuko. Hunny had heard reading to people could help bring them out of unconsciousness, so he was currently reading aloud from her copy of "Pride and Prejudice" which they had found in her school bag. Mori sat silently by Hunny's side, listening to the boy, but his focus remained on Shizuko and watching her slow inhale and exhale.

Suddenly he became aware that Hunny had stopped orating and was staring at him.

"I'm going to go get some cake, would you like some too Takashi?" Hunny inquired.

"No thank you Mitsukuni," Mori replied, never taking his eyes of Shizuko's prone form.

"Alright, I'll be right back then," and Hunny hopped out of his chair and skipped out of the door.

Mori took this time alone to move closer to Shizuko. He grabbed her hand and held on tightly. He hadn't been sleeping very well; none of them had been for they were all haunted by images of the fateful night. But everyone knew the more tired Mori was, the more…open he was. So he started to talk to her:

"I know you probably can't hear me Shizuko, but I want you to know I am here. I want to apologize for leaving you alone that night. Maybe if I hadn't left you, you wouldn't be here like this. I wish I could be lying here instead of you. You don't deserve this," he paused to collect his thoughts. "I guess what I really want to say is, I don't want you to leave me. So please wake up, wake up for me?"

Nothing happened.

Mori sighed and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes, tired of waiting for a miracle. As he sat there with his eyes closed he started to drift off, his lack of sleep finally catching up to him. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

* * *

**"I know you probably can't hear me Shizuko, but I want you to know I am here. I want to apologize for leaving you alone that night" **

_Who is that speaking, _I thought to myself. _ That voice, it sounds so familiar. _The voice kept on talking, but I couldn't understand what it was saying. I had been drifting in and out of semi-consciousness for the last little while. My eyes wouldn't open and my ears sounded like they had cotton in them. I tried to force myself up, but something was holding me back and keeping my limbs from working properly.

I tried to make out what the voice was saying. Maybe if I could hear the words, I would be able to tell who was with me.

"**Maybe if I hadn't left you, you wouldn't be here like this. I wish I could be lying here instead of you. You don't deserve this."**

What didn't I deserve? Where was I exactly?

**"I guess what I really want to say is, I don't want you to leave me. So please wake up, wake up for me?"**

_Who are you? _I lay…wherever I was, unmoving. I desperately wanted to make contact with whoever was out there, but I didn't know how to. I heard a door open nearby and small footsteps pad in.

"Mori you fell asleep silly!" A high, sweet voice said with a small giggle.

Mori? Mori….Hunny! The hosts! I was attacked at the masquerade ball! Suddenly everything came rushing back to me. I tried to move my arms; it felt like they were travelling through molasses, but suddenly I could move again. I grabbed wildly at sheets that were tangled around my body. There were wires connected to me, I could feel them brush against my skin. I was in a hospital. And I was afraid. I could hear wild beeping from machines around me and the sound of people rushing into the room. That was when my eyes snapped open.

* * *

Mori had woken up when Hunny had reentered the room and laughed at him for falling asleep sitting upright in the chair. But when Hunny had mentioned Mori's name, something must have clicked in Shizuko's brain for her eyes opened wide, full of fear. Machines started incessantly going off as her heart rate skyrocketed, panic driving her to start grasping at everything within reach.

The beeping of the appliances had alerted the nurses, and they rushed in to subdue Shizuko. They held her arms down as she seized, her eyes frantically darting around the room.

Mori was holding on to Hunny who was horribly frightened by the spectacle in front of him. The doctor came rushing in past them with a sedative, ready to administer it to Shizuko. He plunged the needle into her upper arm and immediately her heart rate started returning to a normal pace. Her arms fell back to her side and her eyes came to rest on Mori's face. She gave him a small smile, which he returned as her eyelids sagged shut and she fell into a deep sleep.

The doctor placed the used needle on a tray on the nearest counter. He turned to face Mori and Hunny who were anxiously awaiting any news. The doctor grinned and quickly said, "You might want to call your friends. Miss Koi has finally woken up."

* * *

**Yay she's awake! Next chapter things start to go back to normal for a while (finally). Shizuko will have to make a hard decision regarding her voice. How will Shizuko react to what Mori said to her while she was unconscious? You'll find out next time on: Silence if Golden!**

**Thanks again for your reviews. Those of you that have been with me since the beginning, you guys are amazing! Hope I'm not boring you too much!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Sorry it's been a few days since the last update. Busy busy busy, that's me.**

**But here's a nice kinds fluffy chapter for you, to make up for the insanely mean last few. Enjoy!**

* * *

It didn't take long for the hosts to make it to the hospital after hearing Shizuko was awake.

Chizu had had to return to the Azumi to take care of matters there, but the hosts picked her up on their way. As the limousine approached the hospital, the level of excitement grew palpably. Tamaki was going on about how thrilled he was his daughter was ok, while the twins hadn't stopped talking about how they could finally have some fun with Shizuko again. Haruhi and Kyouya were more restrained, but it was apparent that they too were relieved Shizuko was conscious.

The limousine pulled up outside and even before it had come to a complete stop Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru were out and flying through the hospital entrance. Kyouya and Haruhi rolled their eyes, but followed out quickly, with Chizu right behind them, nonetheless. When the three of them showed up at Shizuko's room, Tamaki and the twins were sitting grumpily in the hall. Mori and Hunny were standing outside with them. Apparently, Shizuko was still under the effects of the sedative and was not to be woken up.

"I thought they said she was awake!" Tamaki grumbled, his arms crossed.

"They said she _had_ woken up, Tamaki. She woke up rather severely however, and they had to sedate her. It should be wearing off soon though, her physician told me," Kyouya replied with a sigh. Tamaki could be such a child sometimes.

"We should get her some cake!" Hunny declared. "I bet some cake would make her feel better! Or maybe Usa-chan would help!"

"No cake, Mitsukuni," Mori replied.

"Yeah I doubt cake is what she'll be wanting…" Haruhi trailed off.

"Well, maybe we can get her flowers then?" Hikaru suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, don't all girls love flowers?" Kaoru continued, picking up where his brother left off.

"Ooh and a stuffed animal! Stuffed animals make everyone happy, right Takashi?" Hunny leapt into the air with joy.

"Ah?" Mori replied unsurely.

"Well I guess it's settled! Operation Make Shizuko Happy with Flowers and Animals is a go!" Tamaki shoved his finger into the air for emphasis.

Hunny and the twins looked rather excited about the plan, while Haruhi, Kyouya, and Mori mirrored less than thrilled looks. This could only end badly for Shizuko's room….

And end badly it did. When the group was done, it was virtually impossible to maneuver around the room. Collectively, the group hadn't known what type of flowers to get Shizuko, so they each decided to go their separate ways. Kyouya and Haruhi decided she didn't need _that_ many flowers, so together they got her a nice small vase of colorful blooms of poms. Mori ended up choosing a nice bouquet of white tulips. The other four hosts…purchased the rest of the floral shop.

Shizuko's room was floor to ceiling covered in every imaginable color and variety of flower. Roses and sunflowers and daisies and orchids…they were everywhere. Chizu had watched as vase upon vase had been brought in, laughing silently to herself about how much the hosts had come to care for Shizuko. She had never seen anything like it.

The doctors were getting a kick out of it too; never before had seven such handsome young men filled an entire room with flowers for one girl. _She must be one lucky girl_ the female nurses all thought to themselves.

Eventually the effects of the sedative started to wear off and the doctor went in to take Shizuko's vitals. The hosts crowded around outside the door to Shizuko's room, waiting for the moment they would be let in. Tamaki had his eyes glued to the screen in the door, watching as the doctor took her blood pressure and temperature, then helped her sit up in her bed to take some pills. The hosts watched as the doctor smiled at her, talking rather animatedly, then pointed to the door.

Shizuko's eyes bulged, widening at whatever the doctor had said, and she whipped her head towards the door. Tamaki elatedly waved at her from his position directly in front of the window. She smiled weakly and waved back. The doctor laughed, and then asked her something. The hosts watched as she sighed then closed her eyes and nodded.

The doctor walked to the door and opened it, stepping out into the hallway. The hosts stepped aside to let him through. He turned around to face them and announced, "I think you've waited long enough. Miss Koi is ready to see you now."

* * *

I felt like I was underwater, swimming through a rough current. I needed to take a breath or I thought I would sink, so I rose to the surface and opened my mouth, gulping in air. I opened my eyes cautiously, somehow knowing there would be bright lights waiting to accost my vision. Everything in front of me was blurry, but I could tell wherever I was had very brightly colored walls. And were those walls…furry maybe?

As my vision began to clear, I came to realize what I was seeing was an inordinate amount of flowers. They were covering every inch of my room. _How did these get here? And who might have given them to me? _I thought to myself. As I looked around the room for an answer my eyes fell on Chizu who was sitting in a chair directly to the right side of my cot. I smiled widely at the familiar face and tried to sit up, but I dizzily fell back down onto the pillow.

"Let's not try that again, alright Shizuko my dear?" Chizu giggled, tinged slightly with worry. I nodded once; my head did not appreciate what I had just done. Just then I heard the door open and looked over to see a man in a white lab coat, which I presumed to be my doctor, walk in holding a clipboard.

"Good afternoon Shizuko-san, it's great to see you awake finally. How are you feeling today?" I smiled weakly at him, hoping he would understand.

"Alright then, why don't I just take your vitals then," he smiled back at me. He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a thermometer and a blood pressure cuff and brought them over. As he worked he began to talk to me.

"This is quite an assortment of flowers you have got yourself here Miss Koi. I don't think I have ever seen this many flowers outside of an actual garden before," I just nodded, still wondering from where they had appeared. He wrote down my vitals on his charts, and then proceeded to help me sit up, so that I could take some pills to help with any possible blood clots. As I swallowed the pills he began to speak again.

"Not only have I never seen this many flowers for one patient before, but I don't think I've ever seen such an assortment of young fellows for one female patient before either," he smiled and laughed, pointing to the direction of the door.

My eyes flew open and I turned my head suddenly in the direction he had pointed. Tamaki was blocking the window, waving overenthusiastically at me. _ Of course, the hosts did all this didn't they, _I thought to myself, rolling my eyes, _they always overdo whatever task they're at. _ Nevertheless, it was a kind gesture so I waved back softly. Tamaki beamed like he had just won a million dollars.

I heard Chizu laugh from her spot next to me, joining in with the doctors' deep chuckles.

"Those boys seem rather excited to see you awake and healthy, Miss Koi. Would it be all right if I send them in finally? They've been here since you were brought in 4 days ago."

I sighed, closing my eyes and nodding. _Why were they so worried about me? I had only known them for a little over a month._

The doctor nodded to me, then walked to the door and let himself out. The hosts turned to him, listening as the doctor spoke. The twins high fived and pushed past Tamaki, knocking him to the floor and stepping on him in the process, as they rushed through the door into my room.

The rest of the hosts followed in, more sensibly, crowding into my already overcrowded room. Tamaki picked himself up and dusted off his shirt before marching in, fuming about "the little devils twins and how they were so disrespectful to their prince."

Haruhi walked over to my bed first and leaned in to give me a soft hug. "We're so glad to see you doing well. We were all really worried for you Shizuko-senpai." She stepped back, letting Kyouya come forward.

"It's very nice to see you doing well, I hope you can come back to classes soon," Kyouya said briefly, but as he stepped away he smiled at me.

Tamaki and the twins came bounding over next, all talking over each other.

"Shizuko you're ok!"

"We're so glad you're alive!"

"You almost died on us! That wasn't very nice of you…"

"Do you like all the flowers?"

"We got you these flowers and those ones! Ours are better than Tamaki's right?"

I put my hand on my head; I knew they were trying to be kind but they were giving me a migraine. I heard Haruhi and Kyouya drag them away then, and I silently thanked them.

I opened my eyes again to see Hunny leaning over the bed railing, thrusting a small stuffed rabbit into my face. I jumped, startled by his close proximity, but regained my composure quickly.

"Shizu-chan, this is Sukoshi-chan! I got her just for you!" he smiled widely at me.

I took the small yellow rabbit from him, placing it on the pillow next to my head. I smiled at him in thanks. That was when Hunny flung himself happily at me. I braced myself for the impact, but it never came. I looked up to see Hunny suspended in midair, held tightly in Mori's arms.

"Bad idea Mitsukuni," he set him down gently in a chair nearby.

I sighed thankfully, sending a relieved look in Mori's direction. He smiled softly back. He came closer and, using the cover of the loud arguing from the other hosts behind him, leaned in and whispered, "I'm glad you're alright Shizuko. I…I got you those white tulips. They reminded me of your hair." Then realizing what he had just revealed, he blushed and immediately turned away.

_Did Mori just…blush? _I was shocked. What could have made him blush? I looked over at the bouquet of tulips he had brought for me and smiled. They were beautiful; it was a nice, not too large or flamboyant bouquet of white tulips. I smiled to myself. _They did almost match the color of my hair._

I looked back to where the hosts were all talking enthusiastically with Chizu, who was filling them in on how I was. They turned when they heard my sheets rustling, notifying them that I was watching them.

Chizu came to my side, "Is everything alright Shizuko?" she asked me.

I nodded then opened my mouth, sighed, then closed it again.

They all watched me expectantly, a hush coming over the room.

"Do you want something to drink?" Haruhi guessed. I shook my head and closed my eyes.

"Do you just need some more rest? It has been a long day for you," Chizu looked a little worried. She turned to the hosts and quietly said, "maybe it's best if you left for the day. You can come back and visit more tomorrow, alright?"

Tamaki spoke for the group, "of course we will leave if Shizuko needs rest. But, you rest assured, we will be back to check up on you tomorrow." The hosts all nodded, Mori still blushing I noticed. I smiled in thanks as they filed out the door.

I leaned back into my pillow. My side and stomach were aching from where the stitches were, and my head was throbbing. But there was something I needed to tell Chizu, and it was very important.

She came to my side and held my hand as a tear slid down her cheek. "I was so worried about you…we all were darling. One of those boys has been here every single day since you arrived. I never knew letting them come to play with the kids would mean you making such good friends. Neither did I know, you would end up in the hospital, clinging on to your life."

She sat down and closed her eyes tiredly. I looked at her, and thought of everything she had ever done for me. I closed my eyes too, preparing myself for what I was about to do next. I opened my mouth and…

"….I," I tried to say, but nothing more than a hoarse whisper came out. My throat felt like it was on fire and I was hit with a sudden wave of nausea. Yet, the little whisper got Chizu's attention and she snapped her head up, her eyes wide.

"Did…did you just try to say something?" She asked in surprise.

I nodded my head, my vision spinning in front of me. The pain in my throat was horrid and I needed water fast. I reached out and grabbed for the water cup by my bed. My hand connected with it, knocking it over. I started to cry, knowing fully well that I had just confirmed my worst fears: I really couldn't speak. I might be mute for the rest of my life.

* * *

**Oh no! She can't speak?! What's going to happen next?!**

**Guess you'll have to find out next time!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Sorry it's been awhile since my last update. School is getting craaaazzzy. **

**So ready to find out what's going to happen to Shizuko's voice?**

* * *

I lay with my eyes closed in my hospital bed, wondering where I was to go from here. As soon as I had convinced Chizu that I was asleep, she had tiptoed out of my room. I was unsure as to where she had gone, but I had a sneaking suspicion she had left to discuss the turn of events with my physician.

I had always (irrationally) reassured myself that when the right moment arose, I would be able to speak again. I knew I had been deluding myself but the simple thought had kept me going. I tossed and turned on my small cot, trying to stay warm but I kept shivering and shaking. I was visibly distressed.

I heard the door to my room creak open slowly, and Chizu walked back in, my physician behind her.

"Hey Shizuko, I see you've woken up. How are you doing?" Chizu inquired softly.

I tried to smile, but could not force one onto my lips. I simply rolled over onto my side and buried myself into the covers.

"Shizuko, darling, I think you should hear what the doctor has to say," Chizu walked over and placed her hand gently on my shoulder. I looked up into her eyes and saw she looked relieved. Curious, I sat up and looked expectantly at the doctor.

"Miss Koi, I was informed of your situation and I would like to let you know after such a long period of not speaking, this is a common and expected reaction from your vocal chords," he began.

I shrank back against my pillows, not feeling very reassured by the information he was imparting. He must have seen the effect his words had on me for he started talking again.

"Your vocal chords are like any muscles in your body. Without use they will atrophy, or deteriorate, until they are put into use again. So no, you have not lost complete use of your voice. That being said, it will be a difficult and painful process to work back to their full strength. Especially in your extreme case, your vocal chords might not even make it back to the strength they used to have. Still, I would suggest starting right away with a voice coach and speech therapist if you are truly ready to speak again."

_Of course! I should have known right away they had simply atrophied! I had been so blinded by the idea that I might never talk again that my common sense and knowledge of the human anatomy had flown right out the window!_

I smiled brightly, now fully awake. I could see Chizu smiling knowingly behind him. The doctor saw my expression change to one of happiness and, deciding I would need some time to think over the idea of voice lessons, excused himself from the room.

Chizu came over and engulfed me in a warm hug. "I'm so happy for you Shizuko. I want to ask though, is this truly what you want to do? It's been such a long time, I don't want to force you into this."

I pulled away from her and took a deep breath, then shook my head. It had been 8 years…far too long. I loved my mother, and would always have her memory with me, but it was time to break my silence. My vow had upheld during my years in the orphanage, when I had had nothing much to expect of my future. But now my life had taken an unexpected turn with the introduction of the host club.

Chizu smiled at me and drew me in for another embrace. "I'm so proud of you my dear," she whispered softly into my hair.

Truthfully, I was proud of myself as well. Rather than turn into myself and let the events of the last few days eat away at me, I…the events of the last few days!

Suddenly I remembered that I had been trying to communicate something to Chizu at the moment I fatefully "spoke". I grasped wildly for paper and a pencil which where at my bedside, and then frantically wrote a message to Chizu.

I ripped the paper noisily out of the notebook and thrust it at a startled Chizu. Her eyes wide, she pulled the paper from my reach and quickly skimmed the page. If at all possible, her eyes grew even larger as she read the few words.

**It wasn't only Neikan. There were more people that night.**

* * *

The police had been informed by the hospital of Shizuko's awakening in a timely fashion. They still needed her statement about the night and were on their way to the hospital to pay her a visit when they received a call.

"Officer Osamu, two female students from Ouran have just turned themselves in in relation to the Shizuko Koi stabbing. We have them in custody for questioning currently. Ask Miss Koi if she remembers anything about a Rin Kenshin or a Yori Naoko being there that night."

"Will do," Officer Osamu replied, hanging up as their squad car pulled up in front of the hospital. The two officers exited the vehicle and entered the hospital.

* * *

"Miss Koi, some officers are here to talk to you. May I let them in?" a nurse leaned into my room to ask me.

I had just finished revealing the presence of others during the time of the attack to Chizu. _Their timing could not have been more impeccable, _I thought to myself, nodding a quick 'yes' to the nurse. She left and a minute later, two young officers were entering my room.

"Hello, Miss Koi, I'm Officer Osamu and this is my partner Officer Katashi. We know you've just woken, but we need to get to the bottom of your attack. Is it alright if we ask you some questions now?" the older of the two spoke first. I nodded and grabbed the notebook and pencil again to write my answers.

From there the true events of the night unfolded. I wrote my answers quickly and efficiently, answering to the best of my ability. I told them first about the note I had received asking me to the garden. I blushed as I wrote Mori's name. My revelations on the night of the party were something to explore later.

I revealed the true identity of the note writer to be Kuro, and with difficulty relayed the happenings between him and I. I hated having to relive that night, especially more so in writing. My heart was racing simply thinking about what had happened.

At this point, Officer Osamu piped up once more, asking me if the names Rin and Yori rang any bells. I nodded solemnly; I remembered Yori unfortunately helping Kuro, but I did not recall Rin being present.

Chizu, having read over my shoulder what I had just written, spoke out then. "Mori informed us the night you were brought in that Rin was a distraction in their plan. She was to lure Mori away from you. Yet, she was also the one to run and notify the rest of the hosts of your whereabouts. It seemed she felt guilty about her part in the plan, especially upon the turn of events."

The officers nodded, taking note of everything I was writing and what Chizu had input. Eventually, I was inclined to relay the most harrowing portion of the sequence of events: Neikan's confrontation. My hand was shaking as I transcribed her threats about staying away from the hosts. I stated I was unaware of her state and had no impression that her threats would evolve into true violence.

Officer Katashi spoke for the first time since entering the room. "We discussed the mental stability of Miss Kiyohime with her parents and they revealed to us she has been consistently medicated for schizophrenia, and has been under watch recently for possible psychosis and delusion. All of which they neglected to inform the school of."

Chizu covered her mouth in distress. To me, the pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place. Neikan had deluded herself into believing she would be with Tamaki and when I had entered the equation, appearing to be very close with him and the other hosts, Neikan had cracked.

By this time I had told the officers everything about the night that I could, hopefully filling in any missing holes.

"We appreciate your cooperation Miss Koi. Rin and Yori we were just informed have turned themselves in and are under surveillance at the station. As for Kuro, we will go apprehend the suspect now. We're glad to see you in better health. Good day," and with that the officers were on their way.

I sank back against my pillow, suddenly very tired. The sun had disappeared from the sky and I was more than ready to fall into a peaceful slumber. Chizu, always aware, saw this and placed a small kiss on my forehead, smoothing down my hair.

"Go sleep now dear. I'll be here to watch over you. You're safe now, I promise."

With her blessing, I lay back and closed my eyes, letting my weariness wash over me and pull me into a deep sleep.

* * *

After the hosts left Shizuko and Chizu at the hospital, they decided a late lunch was in order. They piled into Kyouya's limo and headed towards his family's mansion. The collective emotion in the limo was one of relief; they were all thankful that Shizuko was awake and doing well.

"Well, I think she liked the flowers?" Tamaki broke the silence.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "I still don't think you needed to buy out the entire flower shop senpai."

"Well, I couldn't decide what Shizuko would like best," he retorted, crossing his arms adamantly.

"Now Shizu-chan has a bunny buddy too! Maybe Usa-chan and Sukoshi-chan can have a play date! What do you think Takashi? Do you think Usa-chan and Sukoshi-chan should have a play date?" Hunny chatted aimlessly.

"Sure, Mitsukuni," Mori replied halfheartedly. He continued to stare out the window, his thoughts still reverting back to Shizuko. He hadn't meant to reveal his reasoning behind his choice in flowers, and then to make matters worse he had blushed. What was happening to him?

"Hey, are you alright Mori? You seem really out of it. I think you're being even quieter than normal…" Hikaru waved his hand in front of Mori's face. Mori didn't even react.

"What's with him? Is he sick?" Kaoru looked to Hunny, knowing if something were wrong with Mori, he would be the one to know.

Hunny giggled, a knowing look on his face. "In a manor of speaking, yes he's sick."

"Mori-senpai is sick? We must get him to a doctor quickly!" Tamaki blurted out.

Kyouya pushed his glasses up his nose, the light glinting off them. He grabbed the back of Tamaki's shirt, pulling him unceremoniously into his seat. "Sit back down you idiot. Of course you wouldn't realize since you never leave your own little world, but Mori is not in fact "sick". Hunny-senpai is merely using it as a figure of speech."

"Then what does Hunny mean?" Tamaki questioned, looking genuinely confused.

Hunny just giggled again, simply replying, "We'll talk about it later."

Leaning back grudgingly in his seat, Tamaki spent the rest of the ride wondering what Hunny could have meant. And all the while, Mori sat staring out the window, trying to justify his prior actions, never hearing a word that was said around him.

* * *

The hosts arrived at Kyouya's estate in time, entering through the massive front doors and heading straight to the dining room where an array of food was waiting for them. They all sat down and piled their plates high, realizing just how hungry they actually were. They all chatted around the table, with the exception of Mori, who picked at his food quietly.

Hunny picked up on this and decided now was a good time to send Mori away for a quick discussion with the hosts.

"Takashi, I think I left Usa-chan in the limo. Could you go get Usa-chan for me pretty please with sugar on top?"

"Ah," Mori replied, pushing away from the table and making his way back towards the entrance. Once he was out of earshot, the twins and Tamaki were on him about Mori's "sickness".

"So, what was that all about in the limo? Mori's sick, but he isn't sick? What do you mean Hunny?" Tamaki questioned, confused and dense as ever.

"Silly Tama-chan. Mori is lovesick!" Hunny laughed.

"We knew it all along," Kaoru and Hikaru paralleled. "That's why we made Shizuko-chan's dress the same color as Mori's rose color."

"I had a feeling as well, ever since he suggested we help her," Kyouya added.

"I just don't think he knows yet," Haruhi noted, resting her chin on her hands. "I think I saw him blush today when he was talking to Shizuko, but I couldn't be sure."

They all turned to Tamaki who was sitting with his mouth open, his jaw practically on the table. "How could I have not seen it before? My beautiful daughter and Mori, oh they would be so perfect together! That's it, I am officially starting Operation Get Mori and Shizuko Together!"

Hikaru and Kaoru high hived and Hunny squealed with delight. Meanwhile, Haruhi and Kyouya sent each other similar looks of apprehension. Just then, Mori walked back into the room, carrying Usa-chan in his hands.

Tamaki was standing with one leg on his chair, his fist in the air, looking like a general ready to charge into battle. Hikaru and Kaoru were mid high-five, and Kyouya and Haruhi were now rolling their eyes.

Mori raised his eyebrow suspiciously, opening his mouth to comment, but before anything could pass his lips Hunny jumped up with an exclamation of "Usa-chan!" He leapt into Mori's arms, hugging him quickly, before grabbing the bunny from Mori's hands and heading back to the table for more cake.

Mori, still wondering what he had missed while he was gone, walked cautiously back to the table. He sat down and joined back into the conversations, dismissing his puzzlement. Maybe it was better he didn't know. Besides, if it was anything super important, they would have told him…right?

* * *

**Oh no, what's Tamaki got up his sleeves? You know his plans never work out right! This'll surely be interesting, right?**

**Shizuko's voice is fine! Next chapter she's going to start lessons to get her vocal chords stronger...but there's a twist.**

**And yay for Rin and Yori turning themselves in, and now the police are going to go get Kuro also! Everyone's going to jail...or are they?**

**Review as always, and thanks for sticking with me and my story! You guys are awesome as always :D**


	18. Chapter 17

**Wow guys, I'm over 100 reviews and 10,000 views in a little over a month! This amazes me. It's my first fanfiction and I never thought so many people would read it or enjoy it. I surely know I am enjoying writing it! Please though, if you have anything you think I can improve on, I want to hear it!**

**P.S. - I already have ideas for another story that I might be starting soon, but this story will still take precedence until it is done!**

**P.P.S - You guys are getting good at guessing what I'm going to write about...great minds think alike?**

* * *

It was another week before I was let out of the hospital. My doctors wanted to keep me under surveillance just to make sure no complications arose from the surgery. Throughout the week my bandages were removed, but unfortunately I found I would have scarring from the wounds. The entry sites on my side and stomach were less prominent due to the clean stitches, but the slash on my face would leave a long mark from beneath my eye to the corner of my mouth.

I was informed it might fade some over time, but I still saw my self-confidence beginning to fall once more. I felt everyone was always staring at the scar now. I tried to cover it with makeup as best I could, but a faint line always remained.

It was the morning of my return to Ouran Academy and I was sitting at my desk, looking rather despondently into my mirror. I had put on my uniform and pulled my hair back into my signature ponytail and was presently applying copious amounts of concealer to my cheek in a horrid attempt to hide my scar. I sighed, setting my makeup brush down and regarding my work. I could still see the pale pinkish, puffy marking. It would have to do however; I was already running late.

I grabbed my bag from beside my bed and made my way downstairs. I winced, a dull pain throbbing in my mid-section from the stitches, as I bounded down the steps. The stitches would be removed soon but until then it was constant discomfort for me.

Downstairs Chizu was waiting at the table, an array of breakfast foods laid out before her. Since I had been in the hospital, she and the hosts had catered to my every whim; if I so much as looked like I needed a glass of water or a tissue, a hand would be holding one out for me instantly. It was nice to an extent; I now understood what it was like to have servants, but I was also never left alone. The hosts had visited me every day I was in the hospital, bringing with them (more) flowers, cakes, and gifts, or in the case of Kyouya and Haruhi, my missed homework.

I had not fallen too far behind, fortunately. One would also find they had quite a bit of free time to work and catch back up when they were bed ridden. I spent my days listening to the hosts talk about the club and how everyone was so glad I was doing well and would be returning soon. My nights I passed the time finishing assignments. Tamaki wanted to throw another party for my return, but thankfully Kyouya quashed that idea quickly. In his words, "the last celebration involving Shizuko did not end so magnificently for her. I doubt she'd be interested in another affair." He was dead on.

I approached the table, smiling feebly at Chizu. It was like my very first day at Ouran again, except this time the students would be inspecting me for a different reason. Unconsciously my hand went to my cheek and ran along the swollen skin. Chizu reached for my hand and brought it away from my face. Grabbing my other hand she held them tightly, gazing comfortingly at me.

"Don't worry so much over the scar. I can barely see it!" she tried to ease my worries, but I ascertained she was only telling me what I wanted to hear.

"You look just as beautiful as you always have. I bet he'll think just the same of you," Chizu winked at me.

A blush spread across my face. Of course I knew whom she was talking about: Takashi Morinozuka. I had yet to stop thinking about him since that first visit in the hospital. He had likened the flowers to my hair, and then _blushed_, something I would have never expected someone so stoic to do.

Since that day I had kept a particular eye on Mori, watching to see how he acted. Mori had reverted to his quiet and resigned mannerisms, but I could sense his gaze lingering on me every so often. I hoped it meant he might be interested in me, but in my mind I knew he was just being overprotective because of that night. He had not sent that note, and he was just playing the part of polite host the night of the ball when he had asked me to dance. Nothing more.

I grabbed a quick apple and some black coffee and sat down to wait for whoever was picking me up. I did not have to wait long; I heard the bell above the entrance jingle as someone opened the door and I jumped up suddenly very antsy. I needed to move, so I grabbed my nag and ran to the door. I was shocked to see Mori. Only Mori. Hunny was nowhere to be seen.

He must have understood the confusion on my face since he chose that moment to say, "Mitsukuni has a fever. He will not be in school today."

My face contorted into a look of sadness. _I do hope Hunny is all right. I would not want him to miss much school!_ I thought to myself as I followed Mori out the door and into the waiting limo. The driver closed the door behind us, sealing us in. I was quite aware that Mori and I were alone in the limo together. Without Hunny's bubbly presence, the car fell silent instantly. Mori sat a respectable distance away from me, his hands in his lap, looking out the window. I took this time to really look at him.

Mori had a very angular face, but it was nice and symmetric. His hair looked a dark ebony color, tousled and soft to the touch. He was muscular, but not overly so – he was lean that was the best way to put it. He never buttoned his blazer giving him a put together, yet disheveled look, which suited him very well. His eyes were the best part of him however; they were a dark gray, like the color of storm clouds, but they reflected the light making them silvery when you looked him directly in the eye.

He must have sensed me observing him because he turned his gaze away from the window and looked straight at me. We locked eyes for a minute before his eyes darted down to the scar on my cheek. My hand reflexively flew up to my cheek to cover it, but before it reached my face his hand was on my wrist.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, so low I thought myself to be hearing things at first. He released my wrist, but his hand did not venture back to his side. Instead, he leaned even farther forward and let his fingers softly run over the raised scar.

I furrowed my brows in confusion, so he continued to talk. "I'm sorry I was not there to stop her."

He dropped his hand and hung his head. "I should have been there to protect you."

Mori was blaming himself for what happened to me? He could not have known Neikan would turn violent. I maneuvered myself so I was sitting next to him on the limo bench. I wanted to show him that I did not blame him; rather I was grateful for all he had done for me. He had, in fact, saved me that night, not to mention that time he had come to my aid in the hallway. So I gently put my arms around him in a small hug. It was quick, but it got him to look up at me.

I smiled at him and shook my head back and forth. Then I pulled out my phone and sent him a quick text message.

**It was not your fault. You could not have known to stop her. I am all right, which I know I have you to thank for. So do not beat yourself up over this. **

Mori pulled out his phone when it went off, and read my message quickly. "Thank you Shizuko-san."

I smiled at him again, and then sent another message. **There's no need for such formalities anymore. You can just call me Shizuko.**

He read this message too, and then sent a small smile towards me. This was the end of our conversation, but the silence that followed was not uncomfortable. We had reached an understanding that I did not blame him. Now we could let things between us go back to normal, or as normal as things could be between a girl who didn't speak and a host.

We soon pulled up outside the school and the driver let us out of the limo. Mori helped me out as I grabbed my bag, then we started to walk towards the entrance. We walked through the double doors, but before I followed him to class I sent him a text telling him I would meet him there. I had some business to attend to with Chairman Suou.

I watched Mori walk down the hallway, seeing all the girls' heads and eyes following him, and my heart slowly sank. There was no way someone like him could ever be with someone like me. With that disheartening thought in mind, I turned and headed towards the Chairman's office.

Outside Ouran Academy, a rather short blonde groundskeeper spoke into a walkie-talkie while hacking away at a poor shrub.  
_"Phase one complete. Commencing phase two."_

I walked into the waiting area of Chairman Suou's office, regarding the secretary with a nod, before sitting down. A few moments later, the Chairman walked out of his office and ushered me inside. I followed him in and he closed the door softly behind me.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Miss Koi?" he asked me as he sat back down in his chair.

I pulled a carefully worded note out of my bag and slid it across his desk to him. He picked it up and read through it swiftly. He cocked an eyebrow as he read it, then set it down and steepled his hands.

"So, let me get this straight. You would like to start working with the speech therapist, but you don't want anyone to know?" He questioned me.

I shook my head; that was the generalization of the note. I did not want anyone to know, because I knew they would all make a fuss about it…especially the hosts. He looked suspiciously at me, but then leaned back and threw his hands up.

"Well, it is quite alright with me. I will set up a meeting time each day for you to work with our speech therapist. I will tell everyone you are using this time for extra practice with your music. How does that sound?" he finished.

I smiled and nodded once. The cover sounded perfectly fine to me. He pushed the note back across the desk to me and I folded it before shoving it into my bag. He stood up and led me to the door, but before he opened it, he turned and asked me, "How soon would you like to start? Is today all right with you? I can have an appointment set up for during your lunch hour."

I thought for a moment and then nodded that it was fine to schedule the meeting.

"I do think you are making the right choice, in both starting the lessons and keeping them a secret. I will do everything in my power to help you Miss Koi," Chairman Suou said lastly as he showed me out. I bowed in appreciation, pushed my bag up onto my shoulder, and walked out of his office into the busy hallway.

It did not hit me until I was walking away the significance of the decision I had just made. I was going to start speech therapy after 8 years of not speaking…and I was going to start today?

My nerves started to apprehend me as I approached my classroom. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I almost missed the stares that followed me down the hallway. I sighed. I had been expecting them to be curious about what had transpired. I hung my head, wishing I had worn my hair down so I could hide my scar behind it, but the most I could do now was try to not make eye contact with people. I walked the familiar path to my first class, maneuvering around people the best I could, but it wasn't very difficult: most people cleared away from me.

I eventually reached my class and pushed open the door. A hush fell over the room as I walked in and stopped. Every eye in the room was on me, including Mori's, as I walked through the rows to my normal seat. I sat down and took out my notebook and pen. The room was still silent. Mori leaned over and whispered to me, "Don't worry, I will be here."

_That's the same thing he said to me when I was nervous on the first day of school. _I looked up and met his gaze. It was strong and reassuring. My worries started to fade as I stared into his eyes. Maybe he did not return my feelings, but at least I knew he would always be there for me, even if only to protect me. Right now, that was all I needed.

* * *

**So what do you think? She's working on getting her voice back, but she is keeping it a secret from the hosts...hmm. And her scar that she is so self conscious about. **

**Well, review and let me know! I know I'm over 100 reviews already, but keep them coming! Let's see how many I can get to before this story is over (don't worry I've got a lot more in me to write!)**


	19. Chapter 18

**So I guess I'm feeling a bit generous, updating two days in a row. But you guys also have yourselves to thank for this: I had the most views in one day I've ever had (855) and 10 reviews. I'm also over 100 follows now too! You guys are more than awesome, seriously!** **So I give you chapter 18.**

* * *

Halfway through class, a student arrived to deliver a message for me. I walked to the front of the class, feeling eyes follow me as I went, picked up the note, and returned to my seat. Mori eyed me suspiciously as I opened the carefully sealed envelope and unfolded the stationary. I shrugged at him, even though I very well knew what the note was about.

**Miss Koi, I have arranged a meeting time with you and Miss Bevin, Ouran's speech therapist. Please meet Miss Bevin and I in my office at the beginning of the lunch period. – Chairman Suou.**

I slid the note back into the envelope and leaned down to put it in my bag. When I looked back up a torn piece of paper with some writing on it was on my desk and Mori was waiting patiently for me to read it. I read the scrawled writing.

**Is everything all right? **

I felt childish passing notes, but nevertheless I responded to him.

**Yes. I requested more time outside of class to practice the harp, and Chairman Suou granted it.**

I was surprised at the ease with which I could lie. I passed the note surreptitiously back to Mori and watched as he opened and read it. He nodded an ok after he was done, letting me breathe a sigh of relief. _Thank goodness he believes me_ I thought, getting back to taking notes on the lecture.

The day seemed to slow down as I counted the hours and minutes until I was to meet with the speech therapist. I passed from class to class, playing through scenarios in my head. I feared the outcome of our first meeting; would she think I was too much to handle? Would she push me too hard? My hand went to my throat, feeling the pain and burning from the last time I tried to speak.

Finally the bell rang and we were dismissed from class. I waved goodbye to Kyouya and Tamaki who had been fed the same lie about where I was heading. The host club all thought I was practicing the harp with Wakana (my instructor) and that I was not to be disturbed so I could get in as much work as possible. I walked in the direction of my music room, but as soon as they were out of sight I backtracked and turned in the direction of Chairman Suou's office.

When I arrived, he was waiting outside his door with a short young woman, probably in her mid to late 20's, with long red hair in a braid. She turned around when I entered and smiled sweetly at me. She had a baby face with a spattering of light freckles. I could tell right away she was not of Japanese heritage.

"Miss Koi, this is Róisín Bevin. Miss Bevin, this is Shizuko Koi," Chairman Suou introduced us.

"It's very nice to meet you Miss Koi," she spoke Japanese very well, but there was a distinct Irish lilt to it.

I bowed to her, and she giggled. "Now none of that will be necessary. I am here to be your friend and guide you through this difficult time."

I breathed a sigh of relief for the second time that day. She seemed very amiable and genuine in her comment.

"Now, I was hoping we could begin today if you would not mind. I would like to make as much progress as we can as quickly as we can," she continued, adopting a serious attitude.

Chairman Suou turned to me for a response. I chewed nervously on my lip, but finally nodded my head yes. She smiled and clapped her hands together, her youthfulness showing. "Very well!" she cheered, "We will be leaving you now then Suou-sama."

As I followed her out of the office, she turned to me and said, "Before we start, I would like you to please call me Róisín. These meetings will be professional, but remember I am your friend. You do not have to be nervous or uncomfortable around me."

I followed her into a nearby office. It was bright and cheerful, decorated with many photos of her and people I assumed to be her friends. Róisín motioned for me to sit down in the chair opposite her, behind her desk. I set my bag down and waited for her to speak.

"Let me begin by telling you a little about myself. As you know, my name is Róisín Bevin, and as you also probably have come to realize, I am not Japanese. My mother is Irish and my birth father was also Irish. My father passed when I was 5 and my mother ended up remarrying a Japanese man when I was 8. I moved here to Japan when I was nine and have lived here ever since. I studied Speech and Hearing in university and now here I am."

I nodded politely as she spoke, listening intently to her words. I was not sure but I thought I detected a hint of malice in her voice when she mentioned her mother remarrying. I was taken aback; I did not think someone so cheerful could display such an emotion. But the spite in her voice lasted a mere second before her bubbly personality resurfaced, finishing off her speech.

She inquired if I had any questions; I shook my head no, so she suggested we get started. We spent the next while doing exercises to strengthen my vocal chords before moving on to trying to form simple words. I remembered how to move my tongue to shape words; it was getting the sound out that was difficult. Eventually the pain in my throat reached the point of being unbearable and I very quietly tried to say "done". It came out barely above a whisper and sounded more like "uhng".

Róisín must have understood because she stood up and congratulated me on a good first day. She gave me some simple phrases to work on for homework and I left her office. My throat hurt from the work, but I was proud of myself for everything I had done that day. I was indeed working quickly (as I did in most classes) and making progress, but I knew I still had a long way to go. I hurried to my next class before the bell rang and found my seat next to Mori.

* * *

Tamaki and Kyouya watched Shizuko walk away towards the music room. As soon as they had turned the corner, Tamaki grabbed Kyouya's arm and dragged him into the nearest classroom. Inside, Haruhi, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Hunny were waiting.

"Phew, that was close mon ami," Tamaki wiped his forehead, as if there were sweat upon his brow.

"She never would have seen us, you idiot," Kyouya wacked Tamaki upside the head. Tamaki rubbed his abused head, visibly fuming. However, Hikaru spoke up then and Tamaki reverted back to normal.

"So, Hunny, how did Mori-senpai and Shizuko-chan look this morning coming out of the limo?" Hikaru asked, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up on a desk.

"Well," Hunny began, as professional and serious as the Lolita boy could ever be, "they looked rather happy. He helped her out of the limo and they walked in together. He even smiled at her. I think they are showing progress!"

"Yes!" Tamaki cheered, "That is perfect! Now to start phase 2 during hosting hours today, you guys all know the plan right?"

Haruhi rolled her eyes and sighed, hating having to go along with Tamaki's outlandish plans, but she nodded her head. The twins exchanged a mischievous look, and then nodded at Tamaki as well. Hunny was leaving, as he was supposed to be sick, and Kyouya gave thumbs up while writing in his notebook.

"This is so great for our friends!" Tamaki jumped around the room in joy. "They will fall madly in love and it will be all thanks to US!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes again and grabbed the back of Tamaki's blazer, dragging him to the door. "Come on senpai, I think you need some food."

She pulled the door open and they all walked to the cafeteria together, ready for the afternoon's scheme.

* * *

Mori sat by himself in the cafeteria, not hungry enough to eat anything. He kept looking around, wondering where the rest of the hosts could be. Eventually, he gave up and left the cafeteria, opting to wander around the halls.

It was quiet without Hunny there with him. He was worried about his cousin; he never got sick (besides the one incident with the cavities) which only served to make him worry more. That's not to say he did not enjoy some peace and quiet every now and then, and after the events of the past few weeks he relished this time alone.

He wandered aimlessly for a while before he found himself outside the music room. He knew he was not supposed to disturb Shizuko during her extra rehearsal hours, but he so longed to hear her play the harp once more. So he slowly pushed the door open to see…no one. Shizuko was not anywhere in the room. Her harp sat untouched in the corner.

Mori furrowed his eyebrows, his worry switching from Hunny to Shizuko. Where could she be? Did she maybe finish early? It did not look to him that anyone had played the harp in a while, so maybe she had never even come here? In that case, where had she been all lunch hour?

He looked at a clock on a nearby wall and saw he had been walking for almost an hour. He knew Shizuko was in his next class, so he retreated from the music room and walked towards the classroom, ready to question her once he got there. As he made his way through the maze that was Ouran's hallways, he ran into Tamaki and Kyouya.

"Mori-senpai how are you on this wondrous day?" Tamaki asked cheerfully, a large smile plastered on his face.

"Have…," he began to ask if they had seen Shizuko at all during lunch, but he was cut off my Tamaki's rambunctiousness.

"How delightful mon ami! I cannot wait to see you at hosting hours today after school!" Tamaki finished, winking and then skipping off, an annoyed Kyouya in tow.

"Ah…," Mori was confused by his behavior, but Tamaki's emotions had never been typical. So he shrugged it off and continued on his way to the lab.

When he got there, he set his bag down by his chair and waited. A few moments later Shizuko walked into the classroom and headed straight to her seat. She sat down rather unceremoniously, dropping her bag with a thud. She laid her head down on her desk, looking rather tired and…Mori noticed she was wheezing a little and looked like she was in pain.

He placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She turned her large blue eyes towards him.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

She nodded and gave him two thumbs up trying to look positive, but Mori could see through her act.

"You don't look alright," he responded.

Her smiled faded and she laid her head back down. A silence fell between them momentarily before Mori spoke up again.

"You weren't in the music room. Where were you?" he questioned her.

He saw her tense in her seat. She pulled a notebook out of her bag and wrote him a quick message: **Why were you looking for me?**

He wrote back when she handed the notebook to him: **I wasn't. **

She looked almost crestfallen when she read his note, but she returned with: **Then how do you know I was not practicing?**

He penned back: **I was not trying to find you, but I still managed to wind up outside the music room. I did not see you there. **

Shizuko was intrigued by the notion that he had unconsciously walked straight to where she was supposed to be. She almost forgot that he had blown her cover. But now that he knew, he deserved an explanation to ease his worries.

**You are right, I was not practicing, but you must promise not to tell the other hosts where I was. You are the only one I trust to not blow this out of proportions…I was working with the speech therapist.**

Mori read her note eagerly. He was happy she was working to move on from whatever had kept her from speaking for the past eight years. But he also found he had ulterior motives for being excited for her progress: he desperately wanted to hear her voice, even more so than he wanted to hear her fingers glide through the strings of the harp.

He looked up to find her large eyes trained on him, waiting expectantly for what he would have to say about the situation. He grabbed her hand softly and whispered, "Your secret is safe with me." He watched her body visibly relax, a weight lifted from her shoulders.

Her hand went to her throat then though, scratching at it as if in pain. He pulled a bottle of water from his bag and handed it to her. She took it, shooting him a grateful look, before uncapping it and taking a sip. He watched as she tilted her head back exposing her lean neck, letting the water slide down her throat. He turned away before she caught him staring or his face could betray him.

Mori had never felt like this before. He had never taken such an interest in a girl before, being used to girls falling all over him. Shizuko was not like those girls that frequented the host club; she was intelligent and composed, not one to let a group of attractive young men distract her. He admired her for this.

Shizuko handed the bottle back to him as their teacher walked in and asked everyone to clear their desks for a short quiz. He would have to worry about his feelings and emotions regarding Shizuko later, but somewhere deep inside he knew he was beginning to fall for his quiet friend.

* * *

**Oh what does Tamaki have planned for hosting hours? And what's up with the speech therapist and her dislike of her step-father...hmm...curious huh? But Mori is starting to realize his feelings too, isn't that great!?**

**A note, the speech therapist's name has a weird spelling. If you were wondering, it is Gaelic and is pronounced Ro-sheen. **

**So I challenge you: can you guys be as awesome as last time and get me 10 (or more) reviews again? Go!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Sorry it's been a few days since the last update. My workload for school is kind of through the roof at the moment. I'll keep updating as fast as possible though!**

**This chapter is just some fluff, so enjoy!**

* * *

Eventually the school day ended and it was time to head to Music Room #3 for hosting hours. Mori and I packed our bags before leaving the classroom and walking together to meet the rest of the hosts. We walked in silence, my eyes roaming over to inspect him every so often. Mori walked tall with one hand in his pocket, his blazer wide open and his messenger bag haphazardly slung over his shoulder. It was blatantly obvious why Mori attracted so many girls; he was alarmingly handsome.

He chose that moment to look over at me, his intense gaze meeting my wide eyes. I turned away quickly, heat rising in my cheeks, embarrassed that he had once again caught me staring at him.

I decided to keep my head down for the remainder of our journey, lest I humiliate myself once more. I turned into my thoughts, playing the days occurrences back in my head. I was concerned about how easily Mori had discovered my deception. Each host was clever in their own ways; what if another one of them decided to pay me a visit in the practice room and determined I was not present? While I trusted Mori to respect my boundaries and not blow my speech lessons out of proportions, I did not know if Tamaki, Hunny, Hikaru, or Kaoru, would have the same level of self control.

Mori held the double doors open for me as we entered into Music Room #3, which had been transformed into a 50s style diner and soda shop. I had gotten used to their outrageous cosplay days, and today was no different. Vinyl booths were set up around the perimeter, a jukebox was placed in the corner already spitting tunes, and there was even a bar with ice cream and a classic soda fountain.

I looked around, smiling and appreciating the amount of detail that had gone into the set. Still, it was peculiar being back after having been missing for almost three weeks. I slid into a booth in the back of the room (roughly where my normal table would have been placed) and set to my homework.

* * *

"Phase 2 starts now. You all know the plan, so get to your spots before Mori and Shizuko arrive," Tamaki ordered his underlings. Hikaru, and Kaoru eagerly rushed into the back room to prepare the costumes for the day's cosplay while Tamaki, Kyouya, and Haruhi helped the movers put the finishing touches on the decorations. Tamaki had recently gone on a classic movie binge and had fallen in love with the movie "Grease", hence the 50s theme for the day. The boys were each dressed in characteristic 50s garb, either in the role of greaser or nerd. Haruhi, Kaoru, and Kyouya donned their plaid pants, suspenders, and bow ties while Hikaru and Tamaki smoothed their hair back with gel and dressed in their black leather.

Mori and Shizuko entered the room at that moment, Shizuko immediately heading to a table and Mori to the back room to get into his costume.

"Why does Hikaru get to be a T-Bird and I have to be a nerd?" Kaoru grumbled, placing a pair of fake square frames on his nose and smoothing down his sweater vest.

"According to my notes, the female population of Ouran classified Hikaru as more of the 'bad-boy', while you are the more sensitive of the pair," Kyouya commented, playing the studious "geek" perfectly as he read from his notebook.

Tamaki came out of the dressing room next, pulling a comb through his gelled back hair, settling into his role. He walked across the room and furtively tapped Hikaru on the shoulder, signaling him to start his part of the plot.

"Well, what are we supposed to do with the last costume? Hunny was supposed to be our Sandy. We need a Sandy if we're doing 'Grease'!" Hikaru complained as he pulled out the last garment bag, executing his lines with ease.

"We could always dress Tamaki up as Sandy. He has the blonde hair for it," Kaoru continued walking over to Tamaki and poking at his stiffly set hair.

"I can't be a girl, I'm the prince of the host club!" Tamaki defended himself.

"Well, then I guess we don't have a Sandy…" Kaoru grumbled, turning to take the costume bag from Hikaru and put it away. That was when Tamaki "had a realization".

"Hey, what about Shizuko?"

* * *

I had been listening to their conversation for a while, knowing full well where it was heading. No blonde Hunny to play Sandy? Oh, who would be their next best option? Blonde, actual female, me. I started to type my response on my computer knowing sooner or later one of them would approach me with their ludicrous request.

I heard Tamaki finally say **"Hey, what about Shizuko?" **before he smiled and skipped over to me. He came to a halt in front of my table, opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a single word I turned my computer to face him. I sat back as Tamaki read the words on the screen:

**You all speak quite loudly. Therefore, of course I heard you need someone to be your Sandy. I arrived at the conclusion (much faster than you did, might I add) that you would inquire of me to play the part, and I assume you are here now to ask me. And I have my answer…No.**

"But Shizuko! We need you!" Tamaki whined.

"Yeah Shizuko! You'd make an awesome Sandy! You have the blonde hair and everything," Hikaru said, joining Tamaki in pestering me.

"At least you wouldn't look as ridiculous as us," Haruhi motioned to herself, Kyouya, and Kaoru, in their nerd ensembles.

I simply shook my head no. How did they even expect a costume designed for Hunny to fit me? There was absolutely no chance they could persuade me to put on that costume.

"We'll buy you your own harp if you do," Kyouya mentioned.

Well, maybe there was one way. While I did not typically condone bribery, I was falling behind in my musical studies due to my prolonged absence, and having my own harp at the Azumi to practice with would most definitely help.

I think they knew they had trapped me with the promise of the harp, for they were all smiling (even Kyouya had a slight smirk) waiting in anticipation for my response.

Looking at their eager faces, I finally gave in with a sigh. I placed my head on the table and weakly gave them a thumbs up. As cheers erupted from behind me, I sighed again. What had I gotten myself into?

* * *

Mori walked out of the back room wearing a white t-shirt, black jeans, and the classic leather jacket, looking every part the T-Bird he was impersonating. As he reentered the music room, he saw Hikaru dragging a worried Shizuko into their sewing room while Kaoru trailed behind with a garment bag. She turned her head and met his stare before disappearing behind the curtain, a cry of "help me" written all over her face. He raised his eyebrow in confusion, but she was already gone, left subject to whatever torture Hikaru and Kaoru had planned, so Mori walked over to Tamaki who was giggling happily to himself.

"Tamaki?" Mori addressed him accusingly, knowing his giggles had everything to do with why Shizuko was with the twins.

"Oh, Mori-senpai, I didn't see you there!" Tamaki said, trying to pretend like he hadn't just been laughing giddily. "You look great, the girls are going to love it!"

"Uh…" Mori started to ask what Shizuko could possibly be doing with the twins when Tamaki looked at his decidedly watch-less wrist and exclaimed, "Oh look at the time! We need to finish setting up!"

Left even more confused than before, Mori watched Tamaki run off to pester Haruhi and Kyouya, who were discussing her current debt sum. He sighed and shrugged, knowing he would not be getting an answer from Tamaki anytime soon. Instead, he went back to his bag, deciding to read until hosting hours started.

* * *

My costume consisted of black leather pants, an off the shoulder black leather shirts, a black leather belt, and read sandal heels. I had never before seen so much leather, let alone considered I would be the one wearing it. Hikaru and Kaoru viewed their handiwork proudly before shoving it and me into the changing room together.

I looked at myself in the mirror, holding the clothes in front of me. I had seen "Grease" before, and I looked nothing like the knockout Sandy was, especially with my very obvious scar; I would never be able to pull of a look like this. I heard the curtains rustle behind me and saw Haruhi walk in with her hand over her eyes.

"I came to see if you needed help getting into the costume…but I wasn't sure if you had started changing yet…" I walked over and removed her hand from her face. She opened her eyes and smiled at me. I turned around and pointed to the zipper on the back of my dress. She nodded, unzipped my dress, and helped me out of it. Then we started the daunting task of getting me into the tight leather pieces.

When we were finally finished, I turned around to face Haruhi. She stepped back and said, "Wow Shizuko. You make that look amazing. I would never be able to wear that, regardless of the fact that the school thinks I'm male."

I was not expecting such praise, considering I thought I looked ridiculous. My hand hovered over my scar, worried of what the others would think of me in this getup.

Haruhi came over and grabbed my hand. "Do not worry so much, you look incredible. Oh, he'll love it!"

I dropped my hand, eyeing her suspiciously. _Who was the "he" and why would he love my outfit?_ Haruhi must have realized she let something slip, because she started correcting herself nervously.

"Umm…I mean Tamaki will love it…because he loves 'Grease' so much…and you look great…so…wow look at the time, gotta go!" She retreated faster than I thought any person should be able to naturally move. I followed her out, not letting her go so easily. I wanted to find out what she meant by "he'll love it". I had not made it more than a few feet out though when Hikaru, armed with an arsenal of hair products, accosted me.

"You might have the outfit Shizuko, but you can't be Sandy without the hair to match," he grinned evilly.

I started to back away from him, but unfortunately I had not heard Kaoru sneak up behind me. My back struck his chest and I found myself being dragged once again into the back room.

* * *

Mori looked up when he heard an out of breath Haruhi run out into the center of the room. Tamaki was at her side immediately, as always worrying unnecessarily over his "poor daughter".

Mori wondered what could have made Haruhi need to escape so quickly from the dressing rooms. He added this to his growing list of strange occurrences from the afternoon and went back to his reading. Hosting hours were to begin in roughly thirty minutes and he wanted some peace and quiet from the rambunctious crew before the overzealous girls arrived. But before he could read much more, someone across the room cleared their throat to get everyone's attention.

Mori lifted his head to see the twins standing back to back in front of the curtains to the dressing rooms. Tamaki, Haruhi, and Kyouya also turned their focus to them, waiting expectantly to see what the twins had to say.

"Everyone, may we present…our Sandy," then they stepped aside, holding the drapes back, revealing Shizuko.

Mori tried to keep his surprise from his face, but as his eyes roamed up and down Shizuko in the tightest leather outfit he had ever seen, his heart started to race. The fabric clung to her every curve, and while she was not the curviest girl, it accentuated everything she had perfectly.

Tamaki whistled as Shizuko stepped nervously out into the center of the room. Mori's mind was still reeling. How had they convinced Shizuko to wear such a costume? And her hair, curled large and set on top of her head, made her look dare he say…sexy? Not that he minded. He certainly appreciated the view, especially considering the feelings he had been having recently towards her. He considered saying something to her, telling her she looked nice, but he was afraid if he opened his mouth he would say something rash. He settled on a curt nod to her, making her blush.

Tamaki walked over to Mori, who set his book down to listen to what his leader had to say.

"Now Mori-senpai, since Hunny is not here today, and since he _was _supposed to be our Sandy, Shizuko will be spending the afternoon as your partner!"

* * *

That had not been part of the agreement. I had settled on wearing the outfit, not on being a host for the day, especially a host working with Mori! My eyes must have looked as big as saucers. I looked to Mori for help, but he sat silently and nodded to Tamaki in acceptance. _There goes my only chance of getting out of this_ I thought, slumping down. I slowly walked over to Mori, glaring at Tamaki as I walked by, but he just winked at me and gave me a thumbs up.

I had no idea what Tamaki was getting at by forcing me to spend the afternoon with Mori. All I knew was that this would be a challenge bearing in mind my growing appreciation of the stoic host. Mori looked down at me and smiled slightly, calming my nerves ever so slightly, but then Kyouya called out, "Hosting hours starting in 3…2…1" and my mind went blank.

It was too late for me, the influx of girls struggled through the door and I was stuck.

* * *

**Sorry that this wasn't the most exciting chapter, just some fluff. More exciting stuff will be coming up soon, so just be patient. Fluff is necessary anyway in a story that has romance! **

**Keep reviewing!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Sorry the updates have been slowing down. I'm trying to stay on top of them, and also my hectic schedule. But writing this is what is keeping me sane amidst my daily torture that is college. This is mostly a fluff chapter, but it gets a little more serious towards the end. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Wow, Shizuko you look amazing!"

"How are you? We were all so worried!"

"You're so brave to come back to school so soon…"

"You must have been terrified!"

"Your scar just shows how fearless you are! You're as beautiful as ever!"

"Yeah, that costume really flatters you!"

The complements kept coming from every direction, some from girls I had never even met before at Ouran. I sat unmoving, staring at them all, not knowing how to respond. Mori had left momentarily to get the girls sodas and shakes (in keeping with the 50s theme), and in his absence his guests had converged on me. I still disliked being the center of attention, and their endless questions were beginning to give me a headache. _But they are just trying to be nice to me, right? _I reasoned with myself. So I plastered a smile on my face and took their praises in stride.

"Ladies, enough questions," Mori reappeared with a tray of food. The girls all stopped talking and turned to face him upon hearing his deep voice speak out behind them. I sighed, silently thanking his impeccable timing. I shot him a look to say "thank you" to which he replied with a curt nod. He placed the tray down and passed out the cups of soda.

I took one gratefully, taking a careful sip.

"You two look so cute together as Danny and Sandy!" one girl cooed.

I very nearly spit my drink back out. Mori, who had been in the process of sitting back down, tensed and froze. Our eyes quickly darted to each other, meeting, causing each of us to blush.

"Yeah, you guys look so great!" another girl added, "Like a real couple!"

It took a large gulp of my beverage to hide my deepening blush. I dared a glance at Mori, who appeared as startled as I was. He was intently brushing nonexistent crumbs off of his blazer; he was very obviously avoiding meeting my gaze, though a slight blush could still be seen across his cheeks.

I pointed between Mori and myself, shaking my head and hands, trying to convey we were not together. I saw Mori look away as I did so. _He can't even look at me he's so repulsed by the idea of us being together. Why did Tamaki have to do this to us?_ The girls seemed to get my point as half of them looked disappointed we weren't an item, and the other half looked relieved that he was still available.

I put my head in my hands, willing my blush to recede. Mori had finally turned back to the group, but he remained silent. A hush fell over the group, as none knew how to come back from the uncomfortable statement. After a few more seconds of quiet, one of the girls broke it by asking Mori how his day had been.

After this, the few girls fell back into a dry conversation about the weather and the tea and normal "girl talk" as Mori listened, like usual. I did not understand how someone such as he could tolerate their foolishness. I tried to follow along, but I couldn't keep up with their excessive gossiping. Eventually, I gave up and stood up to refill the drinks.

I took the tray in my hands and walked to the back room, passing by the twins as I went. As they saw me pass, they ran over and took positions on either side of me.

"So, Shizuko, how's it going with Mori-senpai?" Kaoru asked.

"Yeah, you two looked awfully embarrassed by something a minute ago…" Hikaru added.

My blush involuntarily crept back up into my cheeks. I tried to speed up to get away from the pair, but the combination of the tray I was carrying and the heels I had been forced into wearing kept me from escaping so easily.

"Come on Shizuko," Kaoru started.

"We're just playing with you," Hikaru finished.

I looked between the two; their expressions were unreadable, but I had an uneasy feeling that they were up to something, the same "thing" that Tamaki was up to.

"Well, we have some brotherly love to share with some more ladies, so we'll be on our way. Try not to have too much fun with Mori-senpai!" Hikaru and Kaoru said, walking away and high-fiving as they went. I raised my eyebrow, not knowing what they were up to. But I had drinks to refill, so I went behind the counter to the soda stream to finish my job.

* * *

Mori blushed furiously as one of the girls mentioned he and Shizuko looked cute together. He stopped mid-sit, looking across the table to where Shizuko was staring back at him. Her face held a similar blush. They each turned away quickly to hide their faces.

"Yeah, you guys look so great! Like a real couple!"

Mori turned his attention to his blazer, smoothing it out in an effort to not look at Shizuko. He feared if he looked at her, with the thought of them as a couple still fresh in his mind, his blush would never fade. He could feel Shizuko's gaze burning into the top of his head, yet he couldn't face her. Eventually, a silence fell over the group, at which point Mori felt safe enough to look up.

"So Mori, how was your day," a small 2nd year girl asked him to break the uncomfortable hush.

"Fine," Mori answered quickly. Without Hunny there to keep the girls occupied, he felt severely out of place. Hunny _was_ the reason he was part of the host club in the first place.

"That's good," the girl replied. With the nervous air dissipating, the girls got back to their normal chatter. He listened intently, speaking up only if directly spoken to. Despite his placid behavior, he really did dislike listening to their mindless gossip.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mori saw Shizuko get up from her chair, pick up the tray, and walk towards the counter. As she retreated, his eyes couldn't help but drift towards her long legs and backside, so wonderfully accentuated by the leather costume. His gulped and looked away before his cheeks could turn tomato red once more, but the vision of her hips swaying as she walked away kept playing on repeat in his mind. He returned to the conversation the girls were having, hoping the dull topic would calm his wandering mind.

* * *

I filled the last glass, replacing it on the tray. I picked it up gently, being careful not to let any of the drinks slosh over the edge. Watching my step, I started to make my way back to the Mori's table. I decided at this moment I would never consider being a waitress: I could barely walk in the heels and carry the tray at the same time.

I eventually started getting the hang of walking in the heels with the full glasses as I got closer to the table, but of course when I was less than a few feet away, the inevitable happened: I tripped. I could only hear the sound of glasses breaking upon impact with the ground, my eyes shut tight as I plummeted towards the ground. I felt my knees hit the floor amidst the glass shards. I put my hands out in front of my chest the rest of my body fell towards the tile and shattered remains of the glasses, but the expected collision never occurred. Instead I felt a pair of strong arms catch me.

Before I opened my eyes I already knew whose arms I rested in. Slowly my eyes fluttered open…and looked directly into Mori's worried ones.

* * *

Mori watched as Shizuko stumbled, trying to keep the tray steady as well as keep herself steady in her heels. He sighed inwardly, cursing the twins for putting her in those torture devices. As she got closer to the table he saw her start to look more comfortable in her gait, but no sooner had he thought this than he saw her miss a step. He knew what would happen next and leapt up just as her feet went out from beneath her.

He could not get to her before her knees hit the ground, but he was there in time to keep her entire upper body from also coming in contact with the sticky and glass covered floor. She was light in his arms as he held her inches above the floor. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Mori holding her. He looked back down into her eyes with concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. She nodded at him, as he helped her into a stand. She wobbled, so he grabbed back onto her arm and brought her over to a nearby chair. She still looked slightly surprised as she sat, looking around at the faces of the guests and hosts, who were in turn all looking back at her.

Mori took the brief moment to check her over and assess the damage the glass had done, his protective nature kicking in. She had pieces of glass rooted in her legs, and she was beginning to bleed a little. He sighed, knowing he should clean them out soon. He did not mind in the slightest though, as long as he was the one taking care of her. He tried to get her notice but she was not paying attention. He placed his palm against her cheek, not failing to miss how soft her skin was against his hand.

"You're knees need to be cleaned. They are bleeding," Mori said. She finally heard him, nodding yes to his request. Slowly he helped her up again and walked her into the back room where he could fix up his silent princess.

* * *

"Are you alright?" he asked me softly.

I nodded a few times, blushing in embarrassment. _How could I be so clumsy? _I thought to myself as Mori slowly helped me over to a nearby chair. The entire club was staring by now. I was so mortified that everyone had seen what had just occurred that I did not even notice Mori had started to speak to me. He put his hand on my cheek to get my attention and my head snapped towards him.

"You're knees need to be cleaned. They are bleeding," he said calmly. I looked down to see some of the glass had pierced my knees and the tops of my shins through the leather pants. Small amounts of blood could be seen trickling out of some of the cuts. I nodded to him as he helped me up.

The hosts and guests had gone back to their conversations after assessing I was all right, and a custodial crew was cleaning up the broken glasses. Mori walked me into the back room where he took out a first aid kit. He helped me up onto a table, then bent down and started to cut away the fabric of the pants from just above my knees down to my ankles. I blushed as he did so, but he did not seem to notice as he intently cleaned out the cuts with antiseptic wash.

He finished by wrapping a layer of bandages around my shins and individual bandages on the cuts on my knees (so I could still move). "You should be more careful," he said as I maneuvered off of the table, back into a standing position. I nodded again. This was the third time he had come to my aid. Granted, the other two times were far more serious, but I was ashamed of my inability to keep myself out of trouble.

He turned and held the curtain open for me to enter back into the main room. As I walked out, I stopped short as the music room had gone silent again. I felt him stop close behind me. We looked to the front double doors where a heated argument was going on between the twins and an unknown person. The rest of the hosts were slowly making their way over to join them. Mori gave me a look saying, "Stay here" and then walked over to the others.

I couldn't see whom they were talking to, but as my curiosity kicked in and I inched towards the fast growing crowd, I could hear voices.

"What are you doing here?" Kaoru growled.

"Please I just want to talk to Shizuko!" the unnamed person cried.

"I'm sorry but you won't be getting anywhere near Miss Koi," Kyouya calmly stated.

"Please, I just want to apologize!" the voice answered back.

"You want to apologize! You think an apology will solve anything? She almost died!" Hikaru spat out.

I watched as Mori maneuvered through the crowd. Whoever was there must have seen him appear because she (it was most definitely a girls voice) addressed him next.

"Mori, please you have to help me! You know I didn't want anything like that to happen to her!" the voice sounded near tears.

"Let her speak. She was not the one who hurt Shizuko," Mori's quiet voice spoke out.

"But Mori-senpai! She might not have been the one to directly hurt Shizuko, but she was part of the plan! I won't let her near Shizuko!" Hikaru shouted.

"Hikaru," was all Mori had to say in a stern tone to get Hikaru to close his mouth. I could see Mori's tall form towering over the girls in the crowd as he placed a hand on Hikaru's shoulder to calm him. He turned to face me as Hikaru's breathing started to return to normal, shooting me a look to say "Don't worry, I'll be here," and then he started to walk back through the crowd towards me.

As the crowd parted I finally caught a glimpse of the girl, now crying while following Mori, who had been on the other end of the argument. It was Rin.

* * *

**What's Rin doing at the host club? We last saw her with the police, how did she get out? **

**Keep reviewing as always! Your reviews never fail to put a smile on my face!**


	22. Chapter 21

**It makes me smile whenever I get a new review because you guys seem to be enjoying what I'm writing. So I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has written a review for this story. Writing this and reading your reviews has brought me a lot of happiness recently. Seriously though, thank you.**

**So this chapter is a little longer, not much but there was some stuff I had to get in to get some more...things...rolling in the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

As Kyouya ushered the girls out of the music room for the afternoon, Mori led Rin to a couch nearby, under Kaoru and Hikaru's watchful gazes. Tamaki was still silent, not knowing how to react to Rin's reappearance. I sat tensely in a chair opposite the couch Rin now occupied, waiting for her to begin her apology.

After all the hosts had crowded around, Rin looked up straight into my eyes, her eyes swollen and red. She was no longer outright crying, but a few stray tears could still be seen lingering in the corners of her glassy eyes.

"So, are you ever going to tell us what the hell you're doing here?" Hikaru, still visibly fuming, broke the silence.

Mori sent him a look, telling him to calm down, but Rin placed a soft hand on his arm. "It's alright Mori, he has every right to be furious with me."

"You bet your…" Hikaru began.

"Hikaru," Tamaki finally spoke, cutting him off, "let her speak."

Hikaru fell back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, go on then," he sneered.

"I am not here to beg your forgiveness. I am only here to tell you my side of the story," Rin began. "I would like to start by saying I know I should have stopped Neikan. I know I should have warned someone about her destructive ways. But I was afraid…" her voice cracked and a tear rolled down her cheek. She sniffled, and then continued. "I was afraid of what she would do to me if I went against her. I knew what was wrong with her…that she had been off her medications. And that made me even more terrified.

"She disliked you from the moment she met you, Shizuko, but you already knew that. She was convinced you were here to steal the hosts from the rest of us. I never fully agreed, but that wasn't to say I liked how close you were with the hosts. You seemed so comfortable with them, and after how long? When the rest of us had been with them since the beginning. I couldn't stand the thought of Mo…" she stumbled. I could tell she had been about to say Mori's name.

"…any of them being taken," she recovered. My eyes darted to Mori; his face remained unchanged, but I could see guilt in his eyes. As if he hadn't been so close to me he could have kept me from being hurt.

"So I went along with her plans. She told us she wanted to scare you away from Ouran, back to your orphanage where you couldn't 'tempt' the boys. Yuri and I knew that she and Kuro were conspiring to threaten you somehow, but they never told us how. All we were told were our roles; I was to lure Mori away from you," she nervously stopped and looked to see how Mori would react. He simply looked away, so she continued. "Yuri was supposed to help Kuro restrain you. I swear, we were told nothing else of their plans.

"That doesn't excuse what we did though. And we were punished for it. Yuri and I turned ourselves in to the police the next day. Yuri got some time in a juvenile delinquent center for helping tie you up, but not actually harming you. I got suspended from Ouran and community service, since I was only a distraction. Kuro and Neikan were expelled, and are now both in jail. Kuro was charged with sexual assault, Neikan was charged with attempted murder."

Rin's shoulders sagged as she came to the conclusion of her story. She hung her head in shame. I couldn't blame her for being ashamed of herself. If she had told someone, anyone, of Kuro and Neikan's plans, I might not have ended up clinging to life in the hospital. I might not have had this scar mar my face for the rest of my life. I might not be plagued every night with nightmares of Neikan stabbing me over and over again.

A sudden fury washed over me and I leapt out of my chair, knocking it over. I could tell I looked crazed, my hands balled into fists, storming over to where Rin sat on the couch. She had pushed herself flush against the back of the couch, waiting for my impending attack. I got directly in her face, my breaths coming fast and hard as I glared at her. She stared back at me in fear. Fear.

I stopped, my eyes wide. I had put that fear there. _What just came over me? What am I doing? _This was so unlike me. I wouldn't stoop to those levels.

The hosts were all looking at me, nervously waiting to see what I would do. I tentatively stepped back, afraid of what I had almost done in the heat of the moment. I was frightened of myself. I needed to get out of the room; I wanted to be alone.

I turned and ran directly into Mori's chest. I looked up into his soft grey eyes and I lost my resolve. I broke down and started to cry.

* * *

"I think it would be best if you left now," Tamaki whispered to Rin. She nodded and got up, hastily retreating from the room. She took one more look over her shoulder at the tearful Shizuko as she let the door fall closed behind her.

In the meantime, Mori had put his arms around Shizuko, pulling her close to him and letting her use him as a support. The other hosts watched as her shoulders shook with every sob. They did not know what they could do to comfort her other than let her cry for a while, so they went about cleaning up the room, leaving her be.

Eventually Shizuko's tears started to slow as she drifted to sleep, having exhausted herself from crying. Mori brought her to the couch, gently lowering her and laying her down. He backed away slowly, not wanting to wake her up, and then walked over to where the others had convened.

"Poor Shizuko," Haruhi leaned against a broom. "She looks like she hasn't slept in ages."

"I've been talking to Chizu-sama since Shizuko returned to the Azumi center, checking on her adjustments to leaving the hospital," Kyouya said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "She informed me that Shizuko rarely sleeps through the night, waking frequently with nightmares."

"No wonder she's so tired," Tamaki whispered. "My poor daughter."

Mori looked at Shizuko's sleeping form, really seeing her. Her tears had washed away some of her makeup and dark purple circles could be seen beneath her eyes, alluding to her sleepless nights. She looked paler and thinner too, now that he thought about it, as if she might not have been eating enough.

"We need to watch out for her more," Kaoru added.

"I know we need to. I just don't want any_ other_ girls getting the idea that we've forgotten about them and trying to take it out on Shizuko," Hikaru said.

They looked back and forth at each other, not knowing where to go from there.

"Well, let's just resolve to keep a closer eye on her, but not forget about our normal guests," Tamaki addressed them. "For now though, we should get her home. Mori-senpai, would you take her please?"

"Ah," Mori replied, already walking back to where she was. He gently picked her up in his arms, slinging her bag on one shoulder and his on the other, and then headed out the door. As the doors swung shut behind him, he heard Tamaki say, "It's been a long day, we should all get some rest."

* * *

Mori's driver pulled up in front of the school where Mori was waiting, the sleeping Shizuko held tight in his arms.

"Is the young Miss alright?" the driver asked worriedly, pulling the car door open.

"Just tired," Mori replied, gently setting Shizuko down inside the car. He climbed in after her, taking his jacket up and balling it into a makeshift pillow. He slowly lifted her head and placed the jacket beneath, noticing she didn't even flinch as he did so; she must have been more exhausted than they thought.

The car pulled away, heading to the orphanage, leaving Mori to sit in silence. He took this time to watch over Shizuko's sleeping form, seeing her chest rise and fall with each breath she took. She looked so peaceful lying there.

Mori leaned over and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, letting his hand linger on her cheek. He had never felt so attached to someone so quickly, with the exception of Hunny, but he was Hunny's cousin and protector, so it was expected. Mori was falling fast for the silent girl, and he was completely unaware of what to do about it.

Of course he had dealt with crushes before – he _had_ been a host for almost two years, and the girls that requested himself and Hunny were all attractive. Still, he had never felt an emotional connection to any of them – it was all physical attraction. Shizuko was not like the girls the host club dealt with every day; she did not overtly cling to them, or change herself to impress them, or try to impress them in any other way. She was just herself, and Mori liked that.

They pulled up outside the Azumi Children's Care Center and Mori moved to pick Shizuko up. He grabbed her bag again and pulled the light girl into his arms, getting out of the limo as his driver opened the door, and walked to the front entrance. He had the driver knock, so as to not have to jostle Shizuko and risk waking her up. A few moments later Chizu opened the door, a smile on her face. But the smile faded when she saw the unconscious Shizuko in Mori's arms.

"She fell asleep," Mori quickly said, trying to ease Chizu's worries. She breathed a sigh of relief, before ushering Mori inside and closing the door behind him.

"Her bedroom is this way, if you wouldn't mind carrying her upstairs," Chizu motioned for Mori to follow her. She led him up the staircase and into the room where they had first asked Shizuko to come to Ouran with them. It looked exactly the same, minus a few toys here and there. Akane and Umeko, the two girls who shared her room, were sitting on one of the beds playing with some dolls. They looked up when Mori and Chizu walked in.

"Mama, is something wrong with ShiShi?" Umeko looked worried.

"No honey, she's just tired is all. Why don't you come downstairs for a little while so we can let Shizuko rest," Chizu went and kissed each of the young girls on their forehead.

They each grabbed a few dolls and ran out of the room, leaving Chizu to point to one of the beds where Mori could set Shizuko down. He placed her softly on top of her sheets as Chizu left momentarily, returning with Jin, the other caretaker.

"Thank you Mori for bringing her home. She's been having trouble sleeping since leaving the hospital. Her appetite has fallen too," she said, turning her gaze to the sleeping girl. "Jin, could you change her into her sleep clothes. She probably won't be waking for a while so we might as well just let her sleep for the night. Any rest will help her."

Jin set about gathering Shizuko's pajamas, waiting until Mori and Chizu had left the room to get her changed. Chizu walked Mori back down the stairs into the foyer, where she gave him a quick hug to say thanks again. He left, climbing back into his limo and leaving for the night.

Chizu watched as his limo pulled away. _Shizuko is lucky that someone like Mori has found her, _she smiled knowingly as she closed the door.

* * *

The next morning I woke up early in my bed. I looked around, confused. _The last place I remember being was in Music Room #3, so how did I get here?_

"Good morning Shizuko," Chizu walked in, smiling to me. "Time to get ready for school!"

I gave her my best-confused look. _Chizu probably knows what happened._

"I bet you're wondering how you got here from Ouran, right?" she said, reading my mind. I nodded at her.

"You fell asleep there yesterday. But that Mori is one nice boy, isn't he?" she said winking at me, before making a quick exit.

My heart dropped. Had Mori taken me home and carried me all the way up to my room? Even worse, had I fallen asleep in front of them all? I flopped back into my bed, wanting to die of embarrassment. A fleeting thought ran through my head as I lay there: what had Mori's arms felt like holding me? I sighed, knowing that would probably never happen again.

I rolled out of bed and went to my desk, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I had dark bruise colored circles under my eyes from my frequent sleepless nights. I looked pale too, making my scar appear even more prominent. Sighing again, I started to fix myself up, knowing already that I was in for a long day.

* * *

I arrived at the school a little while later, accompanied by Tamaki for the day. Hunny and Mori were waiting outside as we walked up. Hunny immediately ran over to me, jumping excitedly into my arms. I winced at the contact, my stitches still healing. Mori must have seen me flinch since he gave me a questioning look, to which I just nodded that I was fine.

"Oh, Shizu-chan I missed you so much yesterday!" he cried, looking up sadly at me.

I gave him a quick hug to say I missed him too, before setting his feet back down on the ground. He scrambled up onto a nearby low-rise wall, and then hopped happily up onto Mori's shoulders.

"Well, I think my lovely daughter is in good hands now with you two. So until I see you in class, I must bid you adieu," Tamaki overdramatically bowed to us before sauntering off to join Kyouya, who had just arrived.

Together Mori, Hunny, and I walked into the school and to class. The day continued normally from there; I had my classes with Mori, Hunny, Tamaki, and Kyouya, and eventually it came time for my speech therapy. I left Tamaki and Kyouya and headed to meet Róisín at her office.

"Come in," she called after I knocked. I turned the handle and walked in, but I halted when I saw her. She had a large bruise covering her cheek and her arm was in a cast and sling. My eyes must have betrayed my worry because she waved her hand dismissively.

"I fell off my bike yesterday on my way home. It's nothing to worry about Shizuko!" she supplied as an answer.

I was wary of her explanation, but set my bag down and let her begin the lesson anyway. We spent the hour much the same way as the day before, working on strengthening my vocal chords and saying simple words.

The hour flew by and I left Róisín for the day, feeling even more accomplished. I rejoined Mori and Hunny in class, and then spent my afternoon doing homework (and trying not to focus my attentions too long in Mori's direction) as the hosts entertained their guests. No surprise visitors decided to stop by that day so before I knew it, the girls were leaving, the hosts were cleaning, and Tamaki and I were led to his limo. He dropped me back off at the Azumi where I set to the rest of my homework and dinner with my "siblings".

The day drew to a close as I prepared for sleep, tucked Akane and Umeko into their beds, and slipped comfortably under my sheets. My head came to rest on my pillow and as I lay there, waiting for sleep to take me for the night, I thought to myself _maybe things will finally get back to normal now._

* * *

**Oh no, Róisín is injured! Do you believe her story about falling off her bike? Shizuko doesn't seem to.**

**Are things finally going to get back to normal for Shizuko? I don't think normal can exist with the hosts...**

**Mori and Shizuko are closing in on each other. How much longer until they realize they like each other?!**

**All will be answered soon. Until then, review! Later!**


	23. Chapter 22

**Since I'm getting even busier with schoolwork, I don't know how often I'll be posting now. So here's another update (two in a row!) to appease you. **

* * *

About a month and a half had passed since the incident with Rin, and it finally seemed as if everything was falling into place. I spent my days in class, my afternoons with the host club, and my nights doing homework. I was improving immensely with both the harp and my speech therapy. I was even beginning to find some _female_ friends.

My only problem was Mori. I found my eyes more often unconsciously drifting in his direction. My romantic heart longed for me to let him know how I felt, but my logical mind acted as my voice of reason. A rich, handsome host such as Mori would never fall for a poor, voiceless orphan such as myself. So I resigned myself to watching from afar.

That day had started no differently than any other. Kyouya picked me up precisely at 7:45 a.m., and we reached school by 8:15. I left for my first class, and the school day was set in motion with the ringing of the bell. I took notes during the lecture, trying to keep myself from sneaking subtle peeks at Mori, and turned in the essay I had been writing for the last week at the end of class. The class period ended and Hunny and Mori walked me to my next class, as they had taken to doing since my return.

Mori was silent, as usual, as we strode through the hallways; Hunny chattered away to himself from his perch on Mori's shoulders. I carried my bag loosely in my hands and watched my feet as I went along. My thoughts had turned once again to the quiet one beside me. Being so, I was not paying attention to where I was walking. Suddenly a warm hand pushed me gently aside as a cluster of giggling girls rushed by. I looked up to see Mori watching me.

"I didn't want you getting trampled," he replied, removing his hand from right above my chest. I nodded in thanks, a small blush decorating my cheeks as I could still feel the pressure from his hand against me. We continued on our way.

* * *

Mori could feel Shizuko's heart thudding against his hand as he pushed her out of the way. He knew her heart was racing because she had been surprised, but he hoped maybe his proximity also had something to do with it.

He pulled his hand off of her chest, very aware of her eyes on him.

"I didn't want you getting trampled," he said, turning away. Shizuko nodded thanks, and they started their passage once again.

* * *

They dropped me off with Tamaki and Kyouya, who I would be with for the next few classes, Hunny animatedly waving goodbye, Mori giving a simple nod.

Our classes flew by and soon enough it was time for me to attend my meeting with Roísín. I waved goodbye to Tamaki and Kyouya, walking around the corner to hide until they had left for the lunchroom. When it was safe, I reappeared and swiftly made my way to Roísín's office.

Knowing the hosts, I was surprised only Mori had discovered my deception, though I was most definitely grateful none of the others had. I knocked, waited for her cheerful "Come in!" to grant me entrance, and walked in. I gave her a quick hug, being mindful of her arm, which was still in a sling, and sat down.

"How are you today, Shizuko?" she asked me.

I opened my mouth and carefully responded. It still hurt to speak, but I was able to make it through short sentences now. She clapped her hands, clearly pleased with my answer.

"Very well done! I can hear you've been practicing!" she smiled widely. "Let's do some reading exercises now, shall we?" she said, pulling out one of her practice books. We worked for a while on the reading exercises before deciding to end the lesson early for the day, since she said my voice was sounding a little strained.

As I was repacking my bag, she placed her hands together and looked at me quizzically. I sensed her gaze, so I halted my packing and directed my attention at her.

"Have you considered yet when you are going to tell those boys of yours about your work?" she asked.

I was a little surprised by her question. I had only been working for a little more than a month and a half. _Does she really think I have made enough progress that it is time to let the hosts in on my secret?_

In answer to my thoughts, she said, "You've been working so hard and you've come such a long way. Don't get me wrong, we have a lot more work to do before you can be free of me," she giggled, "Still, I not only believe those boys would be ecstatic to hear you speak, but I think you could also get some valuable practice in with them."

I did not know how to respond. Of course I had put an exceptional amount of thought into telling the hosts, but I had yet to come to a definite conclusion on when, where, and how I would tell them. I had finally become comfortable with speaking around Roísín, but I was unaware of what would come out if I spoke around anyone else.

"I do not mean to pressure you in any way, but tomorrow is the last day before your fall recess. While we can set up some meeting times during the break to keep working, I think you'll be seeing more of those young men than of me," she added.

I chewed mindlessly at my bottom lip. She made a very good point. I sighed then nodded that I agreed.

"Well, I might be faculty, but I am 'hip' enough to know all about their little host club," she winked at me, causing me to blush. "Seeing as how you are so close with them, I can make an educated guess that you spend your afternoons with them at their club. Am I right?"

I blushed more, and nodded again.

"Then might I suggest I join you at the end of hosting hours tomorrow, right before everyone leaves for the day, and you tell them then?" she suggested.

I thought for a long moment about what she was proposing. _She wants me to tell the host club tomorrow. I would have to speak to them for the first time tomorrow. They would hear my voice…for the first time ever…tomorrow._ I went back to chewing on my lip nervously, but eventually I had to reach a decision. So after a few more moments, I sighed and nodded a yes.

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed, running around her desk to engulf me in a hug. Pulling back she sent me a broad smile. "We can spend tomorrow's meeting time working on just what you are going to say to them!"

I smiled apprehensively. She gave me her hand and pulled me in for another hug, whispering into my ear, "I am so proud of you!" Then let go of me and waved goodbye as I left her office.

Once outside, I stopped in the empty hallway. What had I just agreed to?

* * *

The rest of the day I spent avoiding the hosts fretfully. Whenever one of them approached me, I would tense up simply thinking about what I was to do the following day. I could tell they knew something was the matter with me, especially Mori. He continued to send me glances throughout class and hosting hours, most likely to make sure I had not yet fled the school in a panic.

As the club closed for the day, I manically threw my belongings into my bag, wanting more than ever to be free to go to pieces in the comfort of my own room. Kyouya eyed me suspiciously as I tapped my finger against the table agitatedly.

"I assume you are ready to leave then?" he came over and asked me.

I nodded my head furiously, standing up quickly and following him out into the hallway.

As the double doors swung shut behind me, I heard the twins say, "What's up with her?"

I hung my head. They would find out in due time.

* * *

I lay in my bed that night, thinking through various scenarios of the next afternoon. In my imaginings, I pictured them delighted for me once, the next time silent as I waited for them to respond. The last was the worst: I imagined them laughing at my voice. I did not know what I would do if they laughed.

I rolled over and attempted to fall asleep, but I knew I was in for a long night.

* * *

The next morning I woke up and trudged through my morning routine, dreading the though of going to school that day.

"Good morning grumpy head!" I heard Akane laugh at my cranky demeanor. I threw her teddy bear at her head as she ducked, laughing. I cracked a smile; I could not stay sullen around those two little girls.

I finished my makeup, letting my hand slide across the scar. It had faded ever so minimally, but I had learned how to cover it better. I picked up my brush, ran it through the long tangles in my platinum hair, and pushed a black headband in to hold my bangs back.

I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs. Chizu had been up late with one of the younger boys who had a cold, so when I walked into the living area I found her asleep at the table. I smiled at the scene, picked up a single green apple, and headed outside. I loved the fall weather, and there was a nice tree outside I could sit under while I waited.

As I was finishing my apple, a soft breeze playing with the ends of my hair, the Haninozuka limousine pulled up outside. I stood up, dusted off my uniform dress, and walked steadily towards the car. As I approached the limo, though, my heart began to race.

Mori stepped out when the driver opened the door. He bowed in greeting to me, moving aside so I could enter the vehicle. I smiled apprehensively at him, to which he raised an eyebrow curiously, but I dismissed him as I slid into the car. He followed me in, the driver closed the door, and before we had pulled away Hunny was in my lap.

"Shizu-chan it's the last day of classes before break aren't you happy!" he smiled up at me, his eyes twinkling in delight.

I shrugged. To be honest, I loved being in classes at Ouran and during break I felt I would be rather bored.

"The hosts decided we wanted to go on a trip this break, isn't that great Shizu-chan! We want you to come too!" Hunny announced.

"Mitsukuni…" Mori cautioned.

"Oops! I wasn't supposed to say anything until hosting hours today! I'm sorry Takashi! Shizu-chan can you act surprised for me please?" he looked sadly at me, tears welling up in his eyes.

I was still stunned at the thought of going on a trip with them, but I managed to get a small nod out, appeasing Hunny. He breathed out a sigh of relief and went back to talking excitedly about everything he could do, and all the sweets he could eat, during the break.

I stared out the window for the rest of the ride, processing the information. Where would they want to go? Would I be the only girl invited, or were all their guests coming? I almost forgot about the events of the day as I mulled over the idea of a trip, but as we pulled up outside of the school, Hunny reminded me, "Be surprised when we tell you about the trip, ok Shizu-chan?"

I snapped out of my thoughts. Oh, I would not be the only one in for a surprise at the end of hosting hours today.

* * *

Unsurprisingly the day moved at an unbearably slow pace, leaving me more time to worry. I moved from class to class in a trance-like state, hoping beyond hope the hosts would not force me into telling them what was wrong any sooner than I had too.

I met Roísín at our normal time. We started the hour off by writing out a script for me to memorize for the afternoon. With my memorization skills, it took no more than ten minutes for me to have it down. We took up the remaining half hour with more practice, making sure not to wear out my voice.

I returned to class as the bell rang, and my stupor resumed. I robotically took notes and turned in papers throughout my last classes of the day. At 3:00, a distinct bell rang, signaling the end of the school day and the beginning of fall recess. I packed, followed Mori and Hunny to Music Room #3, and went to my table in the corner without so much as acknowledging the other hosts.

"What's her problem?" Hikaru asked.

"I don't know. Shizu-chan has been kind of out of it all day," Hunny replied, already devouring a piece of cake.

I put my head unceremoniously down on the table and closed my eyes, running through my lines in my head. I heard Kyouya announce the beginning of hosting hours, the rush of girls sweeping in through the doors, and the mindless chatter began. With no homework to do, I remained with my head down, my cheek turned to look out the window, simply waiting for my doom. I must have drifted off at some point, because the next thing I knew, I heard Kyouya wishing everyone a wonderful break.

"We would like to thank you all for joining us today. We have had a magnificent time seeing all of your lovely faces every day, but now we must bid you adieu. Our hearts will not be full until we meet again."

I rolled my eyes as I watched the girls say goodbye, wishing each other a good break. One figure slipped in however, one small figure with a long red braid. I immediately recognized Roísín as she snuck past the hosts and came towards me.

"It's time Shizuko. You can do this, I believe in you. I will be here the entire time for moral support," she reassured me. I nodded, swallowing anxiously.

"I'm sorry princess, but we are closed for the day," I heard Tamaki say to Roísín as he approached us.

"Oh, I'm not a guest, I'm actually faculty here at Ouran," Roísín giggled. She grabbed my hand, pulling me out of my seat. "Hi, I'm Roísín Bevin, Miss Koi's speech therapist."

I could see confusion work its way across six faces. Mori just nodded in understanding.

"Speech therapist? We didn't know you were working with a speech therapist Shizuko," Tamaki said quietly.

"Well, she has been working with me for an hour every day since she returned to Ouran. And now…Miss Koi has something she'd like to share." Roísín turned around and pushed me forwards. I looked at each of their shocked faces, coming to rest on Mori's. He just smiled at me encouragingly.

And in that moment, I forgot everything I had meant to say and only one thing came out of my mouth.

"Ta…Taa…Takashi…."

* * *

**WHAT?! She finally spoke, but she just said Mori's name! How are the hosts going to react to that?!**

**Guess you'll find out later.**

**A/N: I've started a poll to find out what you as the readers want my next story to be about. So if you could take the time to head to my profile and read those bios and vote, that would be awesome!**


	24. Chapter 23

**A little bit of a shorter chapter, but...stuff happens. Enjoy ;)**

* * *

"Hi, I'm Roísín Bevin, Miss Koi's speech therapist."

Mori could see confusion register on the other hosts' faces, but he just nodded, having discovered the secret quite a while back.

"Speech therapist? We didn't know you were working with a speech therapist Shizuko," Tamaki whispered.

"Well, she has been working with me for an hour every day since she returned to Ouran," the speech therapist said as she pulled Shizuko onto her feet. "And now…Miss Koi has something she'd like to share." She gave Shizuko a slight nudge so she was standing directly in front of the boys.

Mori saw worry flash across her face, so he gave her an encouraging smile, though that look might have had some purely selfish backing. He had kept Shizuko's lessons secret, not pressuring her into anything she wasn't ready for, despite yearning the entire time to hear her voice. Now was the time he had waited so patiently for.

He saw her open her mouth and, though the sound that accompanied the motion was a little raspy, it had a sweet tone to it. She sounded so nervous; Mori thought it was kind of cute and suited her. He tried to hold back the delighted smile that threatened to erupt on his face as he looked around to see how the others were handling the situation.

That was when he realized all faces were aimed expectantly in his direction, rather than at Shizuko. And then the full force of what she had said hit him…

Shizuko's first words to the group had been his name.

* * *

My hands flew up to my face to cover my traitorous mouth, my eyes closing in shame. I could not believe what I had just revealed. All my preparation had come crumbling down when I had looked into his hopeful eyes.

I waited, my heart thudding rapidly against my chest, for them to begin their ridicule. My nerves had taken ahold of my voice, making it come out raspy and far too quiet. Not to mention, I had made a complete and utter fool of myself by practically divulging my concealed feelings for Mori.

But as I waited for the onslaught of laughter, I realized it was never to come. The hosts were too busy looking at Mori in anticipation of his reaction to my blunder. I decided then would be as good a time as any to make my escape, so without any further thought I brushed past the group of stunned hosts and fled the music room.

* * *

**Takashi…Takashi…Takashi…****_Takashi…_**his name rang in his own ears, but in her sweet soft voice. The voice he had longed to hear had said _his name_. Mori stood completely still, his eyes now fixed again on Shizuko as her hands flew to her mouth in embarrassment. The hosts were still looking at him to see how he would react, but it was Shizuko who made the next move. She suddenly darted towards the door, fleeing the scene. The hosts turned to watch as she bolted, but none made a move to catch her.

"Shizuko…" Mori whispered after a few silent moments.

Hunny approached him slowly, pulling his hand to get Mori down to his level. Mori complied, kneeling as Hunny whispered something in his ear. He looked stunned for a moment, but then closed his mouth, nodded, and dashed towards the door.

"What did you say to him Hunny-senpai?" Kaoru questioned.

Hunny smiled, "I just reassured him of something he's known all along."

As the hosts stared at Mori's retreating form, Roísín began incessantly wandering in the background, muttering nervously to herself.

"Oh, I should never have made her do this, but I thought she was ready…and she said she was willing to. She was making such improvement; I hope this doesn't set her back any or discourage her in any way. I thought having your support would help her, oh why did I force her into this! I'm such a horrible teacher not to mention a horrible friend I feel awful…" Roísín rambled, her Irish accent becoming thicker as her pacing picking up speed. She looked on the brink of hyperventilation, so Tamaki walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. She squeaked, a rather soft noise from the frantic speech therapist, looking up at Tamaki (for she was rather short).

"Miss, please calm down. There is no need to worry. You were only looking out for her best interests," he said reassuringly. "You are in no way a horrible teacher or friend. Shizuko just needs…she's one of the strongest people I have ever met, but right now she is also one of the most delicate. We, as a group, need to give her some space to think right now. Mori-senpai really is the best one for this situation," he finished.

Roísín shook her head, slightly teary-eyed still, but she calmly sat down in the chair Shizuko had recently vacated.

"What do we do now, boss?" Hikaru asked.

Tamaki sighed, "Now, we wait…and hope that maybe after this we won't need to implement the next phase…"

* * *

I was not sure where my feet were taking me. I scrambled through the halls of Ouran until I managed to find an exit, and then continued to run. I cursed the small black flats I had chosen to wear that day, pausing only long enough to slip them off my blistering feet. Without my bag or my cellphone I knew I logically should not be attempting to get so far away, but being logical was the last thing I wanted to do momentarily.

The sun was setting as I began to slow, but I still refused to let up. Eventually I hit a small park by a nearby elementary school, and my knees chose that moment to give out. I tumbled to the ground unceremoniously, beginning to cry. _Why am I crying again? It seems all I do now is blush and cry…_I thought to myself as I lay on my stomach on the cool grass. Suddenly, a hand took hold of mine.

* * *

Mori had figured Shizuko would try to leave school grounds, so he made his way by a shortcut to the entrance of Ouran. As he approached the double doors, he saw Shizuko just pulling them open, so he ducked out of the way so he would be unseen until she was safely outside, then he followed her. He was curious as to where she would go; he did not want to stop her too soon.

Mori had not yet gotten over the shock of the afternoon. He had never imagined in his wildest dreams hearing her voice say his name. He recalled what Hunny had whispered in his ear before he left.

**"We all know you like her Takashi, now you need to let yourself believe it too. So go**,** follow her. You might just be surprised when you reach her."**

His stomach turned nervously, daring to hope it meant she felt something more than friendship towards him. He had been fooling himself into thinking someone as amazing as Shizuko could ever like him in order to save himself from getting hurt in the long run. Now he did not know what to think. He did not want to raise his hopes just to be let down, but Hunny's words led him to believe he just might not be left empty handed.

Mori shadowed her at a safe distance (he did not want to be spotted – though in her current state, he doubted she would be paying that meticulous of attention) from Ouran all the way to a park roughly a little over a mile away. Mori watched as she wobbled into the grass, then lurched forward. He darted to her, hoping she had not exhausted herself to the point of blacking out, but as he neared he could hear soft sobs. His heart broke listening to her so broken. He kneeled next to her head, turned away from him, and placed his hand on hers.

* * *

Panicking, I tugged my hand back to the earth, hoping I could pull my attacker off balance and try to make a getaway while he (the hand was too large to be female) was disoriented. I somehow succeeded in toppling the man, but the hand held fast. I snapped my eyes open, glaring and ready to lash out at my assailant, but I came face-to-face with none other than Takashi Morinozuka. He was looking into my eyes with worry, no attention for himself and any injuries I might have caused him by knocking him down.

I was breathing hard, a result of adrenaline pumping through my veins from running, being (perchance) attacked, and finally, in such close proximity to Mori.

"Shizuko…?" he whispered.

I tried to pull my hand away, but he seized it tighter. "Please, don't go," he continued.

_Why did he follow me? I have nothing…literally nothing…that I can say to him._ But I stopped yanking at my hand, and instead moved into a sitting position. He moved with me, then stood and helped me up as well. Still holding onto my hand, he walked me to a nearby bench. Mori watched me as I hung my head, ashamed of what I had said and how I had acted in the very recent past.

"Are you alright?" he started.

_Am I all right? Do I look all right? I have humiliated myself, run disgracefully, and managed to almost cause harm to a friend in no more than the past thirty minutes. I am most definitely not all right _thoughts ran rampant through my mind. I did not move, though.

"Please, speak to me…" he continued.

I faced him then, and I could see genuine concern still remained in his eyes. I looked around, but there was no available way to write back to him. So I took a deep breath and began to speak, my heart pounding hard and fast, keeping me from speaking to the best of my abilities.

"Wh…why du…dii…did you…fah…foll…me?" I mumbled incoherently. He must have discerned my overall attempted message, because he answered.

"I was worried."

"Why wor…ry bou…me?" I mangled.

"I like you Shizuko," he said expectantly.

_Of course you like me, we're friends are we not? _I thought, giving him a confused look.

"Yyes...wee'ruh…frends," I answered. I could see hurt flash across his face as I replied. "Wer…naw…not friends?" I looked sadly at him; now I was hurt.

He smiled, laughing very lightly. "We are friends."

"Good," I replied steadfastly.

He laughed a little more. I could not comprehend what was so funny, so I raised an eyebrow quizzically. He just laughed more, finishing with a sigh.

"What…isso…fun…funny?" I asked, my voice becoming stronger as I talked more.

"I like you, a lot," he continued, "more than friends…I think."

My must have looked as big as saucers. _Was he revealing his feelings for me? What had prompted him into this?_

"Will you say my name?" he asked quietly, so softly I almost did not hear him.

I was perplexed by the request, but I nevertheless…"Mor…" I began, but he cut me off.

"No, my real name," he finished.

I took a good look at him. His hair was slightly ruffled from when he had collided with the ground. His blazer was askew, unbuttoned as always, and there was a small grass stain on his rumpled white shirt. His eyes were shining. We must have been sitting there for a while, because the moon had come out, and his eyes reflected the light from the moon, the grey turning to misty silver. In that moment, with nothing happening around us except the whistling of the chilly night wind and the chirping of a few crickets, I thought he had never looked more beautiful. So, giving in to his wish, I licked my lips, took a breath, and said:

"Takashi."

And that was when his lips crashed down against mine.

* * *

**And there you have it. He finally told her how he felt. And she knows how she feels about him, but what will she say after this kiss?**

**Find out next time! In the meantime though...I have a request. I have been thinking about starting another story recently. Only problem is...I don't know which idea I like best! So I started a poll, with the full bios for each of the four possible story ideas, and it would be awesome if you could go vote. Or, if you're not in the mood to go to my profile and vote, here are the bios for you to read and you can review or private message me with the number of the bio you like best. If you do respond (in any of the ways) thank you, you are really helping me! If you don't, well still thank you for reading.**

**A/N: I will be writing all of these eventually! I just need your help deciding which one comes first!**

**1. Dream Weaver: Recently, Mori has been having a recurring dream about a girl, whom he has never met, dying in his arms. So what happens when he meets the girl from his dream during a trip with the hosts to a commoner's supermarket? In his dream, Mori cannot do anything to save the girl. Now that she's real, and in his life, he swears to protect her at all costs. MorixYume(OC)**

**2. That's Amore: A new student enrolls at Ouran. She's Velia Vita, an athletic beauty who just moved from Italy. She's brash, she's outspoken, she's not too fond of the host club, and...she has seemingly no background, frustrating Kyouya to no end. As Kyouya begins to dig, he uncovers a past life hidden for a reason. But is his snooping putting her into danger? KyouyaxVelia(OC)**

**3. Living in a Fantasy: Nise has lived a comfortable life as the daughter of two wealthy business moguls. She attends Ouran Academy, gets good grades, is popular, and most recently, she's had her eyes set on one of those handsome hosts. But one day, when working on an assignment, she sees a photo in a missing persons database...a photo of herself as a baby! Is her entire life a lie? And what happens when the hosts get involved with her search for the truth? ?xNise(OC)**

**4. Against All Odds: Tsuneko grew up going to school at Ouran. She is quiet, shy, very smart, but also not very well known. That is, until she is diagnosed with a very rare - and life threatening - form of cancer. Despite the treatments she undergoes, Tsuneko is given no more than two or three years to live. The hosts take it upon themselves to grant her every wish during this time. But what happens when one of the hosts starts to fall for the terminally ill girl? ?xTsuneko(OC)**


	25. Chapter 24

**So you guys all did an awesome job getting votes in for my next story. After adding up the answers via poll, PM, and review, these are the current "next story" standings:**

**Dream Weaver: 11**

**That's Amore: 16**

**Living in a Fantasy: 5**

**Against All Odds: 10**

**But that doesn't mean it's closed! Keep reviewing or private messaging me your choices and voting in the poll!**

**Now, here's to the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Mori could hear soft crying as he approached Shizuko. He placed his hand on hers as she lay in the grass, worried she might have injured herself when she collapsed. Unfortunately, he realized too late what this might have felt like from her perspective, as she grabbed a hold of his hand and pulled. Mori stumbled forward and fell, not having grounded himself properly as he knelt next to her. He smiled quickly, proud of her quick thinking and reaction to a possible attacker. _I should work on some self defense moves with her later_, Mori thought to himself as she turned to face him, a fire in her eyes. When she saw it was just him, however, she visibly calmed. He returned her look with one of concern.

"Shizuko?" Mori quietly asked.

She tried to wrench her hand free of his, but he was still stronger than her and held fast. "Please, don't go," he pleaded.

Mori could see her mind processing. Eventually she must have decided he meant her no harm, since she stopped trying to break away from his grasp. He took this time to stand up and help her to her feet. Then, still holding her hand, he led her to a nearby bench. As they sat in silence, she dropped her head in defeat. She was embarrassed, most likely beating herself up for knocking him over, he thought. _But she has nothing to be ashamed of._

"Are you alright?" Mori asked naïvely. Quite obviously, she was not all right. She continued to stare at him.

"Please, speak to me…" he prodded her to open up.

She paused for a moment, opened her mouth, and then the same thin voice from before came out.

"Wh…why du…dii…did you…fah…foll…me?"

_Why did you...oh why did you follow me? She wants to know why I chased after her. _ He decided then and there it was time she knew.

"I was worried," Mori said.

"Why wor…ry bou…me?" she responded.

Now it was his turn to pause, but her continued soon. "I like you Shizuko," He waited for her to say she did not feel the same way.

"Yyes...wee'ruh…frends," she answered, a confused look on her face. _There it is,_ he thought dejectedly, _she thinks of me as no more than a friend._

More confusion crossed her face. "Wer…naw…not friends?"

Mori let a small laugh out. Her inexperience with having a suitor was becoming apparent. "We are friends."

"Good," she responded decisively.

He chuckled a little more, a deep, but light and playful sound. She raised an eyebrow in confusion. His heart started to pound in his chest. "What…isso…fun…funny?"

Mori took a deep breath. "I like you, a lot," he disclosed, "more than friends…I think."

He watched as her eyes opened wide when she realized the meaning of his words. Taking another deep breath, Mori continued, his heart taking over. "Will you say my name?"

For a moment, Mori thought he might have whispered it so quietly she did not hear. But then she started to say, "Mor…". He cut her off.

"No, my real name."

She continued to stare. Mori gazed back, taking all of her in. Shizuko's skin was milky white in the moonlight, her cheeks flushed from the events of the afternoon. Her hair, which had been pulled back by a simple black headband, was disheveled, adorned here and there with a leaf from her time in the grass. Her uniform, which while unflattering on most, managed to make her just look young and innocent. She was barefoot, having favored running away without her shoes on. Her striking blue eyes captured Mori's and held his gaze. In that moment, with nothing happening around them except the whistling of the chilly night wind and the chirping of a few crickets, Mori thought she had never looked more beautiful.

Then she licked her lips, shifting his focus. His eyes were trained on her thin pink lips as she opened them and the one word he had been hoping to hear again all evening escaped.

'Takashi."

He could not hold back any longer. Mori leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss.

* * *

My eyes widened in disbelief as Mori's lips unexpectedly collided with mine. My mind could not comprehend what was happening. Mori had just divulged his feelings for me, which in and of itself was shocking. But now he was kissing me as well? _Mori…Takashi…is kissing me. He's kissing me. He's kissing ME? _My mind suddenly resurfaced. I had never been properly kissed before – I shuddered as the memory of Kuro pressed against me resurfaced, but I quickly repressed the memory. I didn't want to ruin the moment, but with that thought…what was I supposed to do? I closed my eyes, thinking that was the first proper response to being kissed. _Now what? _My mind questioned.

His lips were moving against mine. They were unbelievably soft, as soft as I had expected them to be after the preposterous amount of time I had spent scrutinizing them. My heart was racing as I began to move my lips back against his. _Am I doing this right? I hope my lips aren't too chapped. When was the last time I reapplied Chap Stick? Oh I do hope my breath is all right! I was just lying in the grass; I must smell like dirt…why is he still kissing me? I must have repulsed him by now, have I not?_ My mind was sprinting a mile a minute.

But as soon as I was thinking maybe I was doing something right, he pulled away.

"I'm sorry," he looked away from me. _I must have done something wrong; he cannot even look at me anymore. _ But then he said, "I should have asked you first. Can you forgive me?"

I was stunned. He was asking my forgiveness for kissing me? I was unsure how to react to his request. My head was still reeling from the kiss itself. So I did the only thing I could think of at the moment; I placed my hand on his cheek, turned his face back to mine, and this time I kissed him. Our lips struck, moving together in a frantic rhythm in time to the beating of our hearts. My hand was still on his cheek, but I moved it to run through his hair. I did not know where my sudden confidence was coming from, but I let it take over me and I did not look back.

I felt him place his hand on the small of my back, pulling me in closer. I leaned in to the kiss, getting caught up in the moment. I heard a barely inaudible sigh escape his mouth, and I smiled. He must have taken my small movement as a good sign as his tongue darted out and ran across my lower lip. His hand moved up from my back to tangle in my hair, his fingers playing with my long tresses. His other hand relocated itself to my lower back as I swung my other arm around his neck, grabbing on to my other hand, which up until that point had been in his hair. My arms encircled his neck as our lips continued to dance against each other. Unfortunately, we had to part eventually for air.

As we drew apart, our breaths coming fast, he laid his forehead against mine. My hands were still around his neck; his left hand was still on my back, his right against the back of my head. Our eyes slowly opened, ending the passionate moment, but as we gazed into each other's eyes another moment started. A moment of pure bliss, of just being in each other's arms, and I never wanted to leave that moment. I knew I wanted to be in his arms forever.

He leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on my nose, which I wrinkled at the cute gesture. I was seeing a completely different side of Mori. A side of him that was not worrying about Hunny, or the host club, or even me. He was allowing himself to be free and have a little pleasure. I longed for the chance to see this part of him more often, for I knew he did not let many people see him in this relaxed state. I felt honored that he could feel so tranquil around me after such a short amount of time. I thought for a moment though, and I realized this went both ways.

I had not thought about school, or the host club, or my scar, or most importantly my voice, for a while now. He had pulled me into his world and we had become carefree. All of our apprehensions had melted away and together we had found peace. Together I felt like we could conquer anything. I let out a small laugh, thinking just how right this all felt.

He looked curiously at me as my laugh faded away.

"I think…I…li..like…you...mo..re… …friends…too," I finally said.

He smiled with what I could only describe as pure elation, picking me up off the bench and swinging me around once before setting me lightly back down on my feet. My bangs had fallen free from my headband during this time and he let his fingers gently brush them out of my face, slowly running his hand across my cheek and the scar. His face fell a little.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," he sighed.

I rose gracefully on my toes to place a light kiss on his cheek. "We can..not change… …past. Pl..please do..not…dw…dwell on…it," I reassured him.

He nodded softly, but I was unconvinced.

"Please, f..for me?" I asked.

He pulled me in to a hug, leaning down to whisper in my ear, "Anything for you."

We stayed holding one another for who knows how long. The lights in the park had flickered on ages ago and the blowing wind was turning chilly. Mori broke the hug, taking my hand in his.

"Wha..t do we…do..n.. ?" I asked.

"How about dinner?" he replied with his own question.

I smiled and nodded, suddenly realizing just how hungry I had become when my stomach decided to loudly protest. He chuckled, a sound I hoped to hear a lot more frequently in the coming days. Squeezing my hand he led me to where my shoes were, I pulled them back on, and together we walked hand in hand down the street. I shivered momentarily, so Mori stopped to take off his blazer and help me put it on. Sufficiently warm wrapped in his jacket, he took my hand in his once more and we started our long walk back to Ouran.

* * *

"I hope their ok Tama-chan," Hunny whimpered, hugging Usa-chan to his chest.

Tamaki, despite his speech, had taken to pacing after an hour had passed and Shizuko and Mori were not yet back. Roísín had stayed with the club so as to make sure her pupil was all right when she returned. Kyouya had done damage control, calling Chizu to inform her Shizuko would be home later due to her "having dinner with the hosts". Hikaru and Kaoru had started following Haruhi endlessly around the room while she tidied, trying to force her into wearing some of their mothers' more…risqué designs.

Two and a half hours had passed before the doors to Music Room #3 slowly creaked open. Mori held them open for Shizuko to walk in. It did not take long for the hosts to notice their change in attitude…as well as the quite obvious fact that Shizuko and Mori were holding hands. The pair stopped as all eyes focused in on them, before Tamaki rushed up, flinging himself at them.

"Where have you been? Daddy was so worried about his daughter being all alone with the neighbor! He didn't hurt you at all did he my dear daughter?" Tamaki cried.

Shizuko rolled her eyes at his antics as Mori simply said, "Tamaki." That put Tamaki right into his place, which at the moment was cowering in the corner as far away from Mori as possible. Mori led Shizuko, still wearing his blazer, over to her bag where he let her hand go to put away her belongings. Roísín hopped up and pulled Shizuko in to a hug with her one good arm.

"I'm so sorry darling, I should never have pressured you into this!" Roísín exclaimed. Shizuko whispered something into her ear, but only Mori was close enough to hear that she had said "Thank you." He smiled.

Once all her possessions were stowed once more in her bag. Her hand immediately found his and they headed towards the door together.

"Wait, you're just leaving? You can't leave with him! The neighbor is scary Shizuko my daughter!" Tamaki shouted, stopping them in their tracks.

Shizuko looked at Tamaki, thinking for a moment, then a smirk graced her lips. She turned around and placed a small kiss on Mori's lips, then hooked her arm through his. She turned around to face Tamaki, the smirk still in place, and she inclined her head to say _don't worry; I think I know what I'm doing._

Then they walked out together, leaving six stunned hosts and one delighted speech therapist to watch their retreating forms.

* * *

_That should shut him up for a while_ I thought smiling up at Mori. He returned my smile as we walked out of the Music Room, out the front doors of Ouran, and to Mori's waiting limo which was about to take us for nice evening coffee.

* * *

**A fluffy ending, but now their officially together! Yay!**

**Just a reminder to keep casting your votes for what my next story should be. If you haven't yet, here are the options again. Review with your choice, Private Message me with your choice, or go to my profile and vote in the poll. Any votes will help!**

**1. Dream Weaver: Recently, Mori has been having a recurring dream about a girl, whom he has never met, dying in his arms. So what happens when he meets the girl from his dream during a trip with the hosts to a commoner's supermarket? In his dream, Mori cannot do anything to save the girl. Now that she's real, and in his life, he swears to protect her at all costs. MorixYume(OC)**

**2. That's Amore: A new student enrolls at Ouran. She's Velia Vita, an athletic beauty who just moved from Italy. She's brash, she's outspoken, she's not too fond of the host club, and...she has seemingly no background, frustrating Kyouya to no end. As Kyouya begins to dig, he uncovers a past life hidden for a reason. But is his snooping putting her into danger? KyouyaxVelia(OC)**

**3. Living in a Fantasy: Nise has lived a comfortable life as the daughter of two wealthy business moguls. She attends Ouran Academy, gets good grades, is popular, and most recently, she's had her eyes set on one of those handsome hosts. But one day, when working on an assignment, she sees a photo in a missing persons database...a photo of herself as a baby! Is her entire life a lie? And what happens when the hosts get involved with her search for the truth? ?xNise(OC)**

**4. Against All Odds: Tsuneko grew up going to school at Ouran. She is quiet, shy, very smart, but also not very well known. That is, until she is diagnosed with a very rare - and life threatening - form of cancer. Despite the treatments she undergoes, Tsuneko is given no more than two or three years to live. The hosts take it upon themselves to grant her every wish during this time. But what happens when one of the hosts starts to fall for the terminally ill girl? ?xTsuneko(OC)**

**A/N: I've gotten some reviews asking if this is the last chapter of the story. It is NOT. There will be a lot more drama and fluff coming up in the near future! Thanks for sticking with me!**


	26. Chapter 25

**Well so far it's looking like "That's Amore" will be the winner. But if you haven't voted yet, and you want a say in my next story, please do vote! It's a really big help! **

**Dream Weaver: 15**

**That's Amore: 23**

**Living in a Fantasy: 8**

**Against All Odds: 12 **

* * *

Mori held the door to his limousine open for me to climb inside. I slid across the leather seats to make room for him to come sit next to me. He pulled the door shut behind him, and then took his place by my side, grabbing my hand and pulling it to his lips to give it a quick kiss. I blushed at the act, but returned him a sweet smile.

But as the limo pulled away from the front of Ouran, my bravery flew out the window and the atmosphere inside quickly turned from sweet to awkward. Mori seemed a lot more comfortable with the idea of relationships; someone as handsome and mysterious and "wild" as himself must have had a girlfriend before. On the other hand, my knowledge of the male psyche and relationships had all been learned in the past few months at Ouran. I was normally so ahead of the learning curve, but with the subject at hand, my awareness was clearly lacking. I detested the feeling of not knowing the answers, or how I was supposed to be responding.

I sat with my hands in my lap, trying to not to look him in the eye, fearing I would try to say or do something horribly unwise and make myself look even more foolish. When I did look up at him he had a small smirk on his face, as if trying to conceal laughter, and when my eyes met his he raised an eyebrow. _Is everything all right?_ I could tell he was asking me.

"Uh…" I choked, blushed, and then gave him the most unconvincing smile in the history of unconvincing smiles. It sat lopsided on my face, and my eye was probably twitching to complete the look. He could not contain his laughter at this, letting forth a deep laugh that lasted about a minute or two. I sat self-consciously covering my burning cheeks while I waited for him to stop. When he finally did, he inched closer to me and looked me straight in the eye.

"Shizuko, don't be nervous," he tried to reassure me. I let out a deep sigh and nodded, giving him a genuine smile this time. Mori pulled me in to hug, and as I wrapped my own arms around him he leaned towards my ear and whispered, "I won't leave you. You will always be safe."

A few tears unconsciously leapt into my eyes. I had never felt so protected and secure before. Yes, the Azumi provided shelter and I felt safe living there, but I did not know what awaited me in the future, which left me feeling open and not safeguarded. In Mori's arms, suddenly my future did not loom over me; as long as I stayed here with him, I would always be okay.

He bent down as he released me, placing a small kiss on my cheek and wiping away the one tear that had managed to escape. The car came to a stop outside a small café where we disembarked. Mori told his driver to come back in about an hour. We walked hand in hand into the shop and to a small table in the corner. He pulled out my chair, ever the gentleman, before sliding into the seat across from mine.

Soon a waitress came up to take our orders. As Mori ordered the girl openly flirted with him, twirling her hair and giggling, asking Mori what he wanted. He ordered a black coffee before looking to me. He pointed to the menu in front of him, asking me with his eyes if I needed it to let the girl know what I wanted, but I waved it off. Nervously I took a deep breath and turned to the waitress, saying, "A bla..ck cof…coffee …me …please." Then I added a smile for good measure.

Mori looked rather proud which made me pleased, but I just got a sad stare from the waitress. Her look said everything: _This girl must be at least 16, and she can't even speak properly. What's wrong with her? _Her eyes flitted over to Mori, looking him over once before turning back to face me. Her eyes sent me a reproachful glare. _She must think this is a pity date_…I blanched before turning to hide my face. I heard the waitress address Mori, giggling flightily before saying, "I'll be right back with those drinks cutie." I mentally added her winking at him, which just resulted in me getting frustrated and depressed. This was why people like Mori did not end up with people like me.

"Shizuko," Mori tried to get my attention. I looked up sadly at him. "Don't worry about her. I'm here with you." He reached across the table and took my hand. I could see the waitress glare at me out of the corner of my eye. _If I stay with Mori, this is something I will have to get used to _I thought to myself dejectedly. But I smiled at Mori to let him know I was all right, and there we sat until our coffees were delivered. We sat drinking our coffees, which we were surprised to find we each took black with only one sugar, content to just be with each other. The nice thing about Mori was that he was not much of a talker, which matched my current speaking capabilities. It made me feel better that I did not have to try to come up with useless banter, and I could tell Mori felt the same way. I had a sudden flashback to Chizu saying that Mori and I were kindred spirits, and I realized she had never been more right.

Our hour was up soon and Mori, again being the perfect gentleman, paid for the drinks. We left the café to see his limo waiting patiently for us out front. The driver quickly opened the door for us to get in. Once inside, Mori put his arm around me and I lay my head on his shoulder. His hand absentmindedly rubbed circles soothingly on my upper arm.

It was hard to believe it had only been that afternoon Mori and I had divulged our feelings. We fit so well together and were already so comfortable around each other. In fact, I was so comfortable I started to fall asleep on his shoulder as we drove. Just as I was about to nod off, my eyes sought out his face and I saw he had fallen asleep. I smiled, burrowing in closer to him, and let his warmth and the rolling of the limo lull me too to sleep.

* * *

Mori, being a light sleeper, felt the car come to a stop. He opened his eyes and tried to move his arm, but he remembered it was still wrapped tightly around Shizuko when he looked down and saw her asleep against him. He looked outside and saw the limo had pulled up in front of the Azumi. Taking a glance down at his watch, he saw the time: 10:43 p.m. He flinched, hoping Kyouya had covered well for them.

Shizuko began to stir when Mori flinched, her eyes opening slowly and settling on his face. They exchanged smiles before Mori nodded his head in the direction of the house. She nodded back, pulling herself into an upright sitting position and grabbing her bag. By this time, the driver had made his way to the door to let them out. Together they exited and walked to the front door. Shizuko pressed a button that would alert only Chizu's room that someone was there, considering how late it was.

As they waited for the door to be answered, Mori pulled Shizuko in for a kiss, knowing full well that would not be happening again once Chizu was there. Little did they know that Chizu was watching from a window upstairs, grinning madly. _Finally _she thought. Eventually she had to let them in though, so she made her way to the entrance. She pulled the door open, making the pair jump apart quickly.

"Oh hello there Mori. It was so nice of you to bring Shizuko home. You guys must have had a nice night…having dinner with the other boys right? That must have been so lovely. And now you're on break? You all deserve a break, you've been working so hard!" Chizu giggled.

Mori and Shizuko smiled nervously. They did not know how, but they knew Chizu knew about them. Now she was trying to embarrass them. Chizu moved away so Shizuko could step inside and Mori bowed to them saying good night. As the door was closing, the couple stole one last look at each other. They smiled as the door finally shut.

Shizuko walked across the foyer to the living room door. Just as she was about to push it open she heard Chizu clear her throat. Turning slowly, she was Chizu smirking at her.

"Don't think I didn't see you two kissing out there," she started. Shizuko cringed.

"Don't worry, I'm very happy for you. I saw this coming for a looong time," Chizu approached her, putting a hand on Shizuko's shoulder.

"Mori is a great guy, but…" she paused, "if he hurts you in any way, I will not hesitate to kick that boy's ass, pardon my language." She finished with a smile.

By this point Shizuko was standing motionless and looking rather frightened at Chizu. Chizu just pat her on the shoulder and walked away, leaving a nervous Shizuko to watch her retreating form. Shizuko let out a breath she did not realize she was holding as she turned and made her way up the stairs to her room. She quietly entered, knowing Akane and Umeko were already asleep. She got ready for the night as usual, finally slipping under her comforter. As she lay in bed, she thought back on the happenings of the day, wondering how she had managed to end up with someone like Mori. Suddenly her phone vibrated from her nightstand.

She rolled over and picked it up, looking at the name on the screen. It was a text message from Mori. She opened it and smiled. **Sweet dreams. ** She would never have pegged Mori for being such a romantic, but now that she thought about it, romantic seemed to suit him nicely. With that she lay back, pulling her comforter up around her, and happily fell asleep.

* * *

"Shizuko wake up!" I heard someone calling my name. They did not sound angry, they sounded rather excited. Actually it sounded like…

"Tamaki-senpai, was that really the best way to go about waking her up?" Haruhi acted as the voice of reason.

I sat up and saw all seven hosts standing at the foot of my bed. I rubbed my eyes, still bleary from sleep, but then I froze. _All seven hosts are standing at the foot of my bed._ I flew back under my covers, pulling them up over my head to hide myself. I had just woken up; I was wearing nothing more than an old nightgown…I did not dare to imagine what my hair must have looked like. And Mori was here. I did not want my…was it decent to call him my boyfriend already? Well, anyway I did not want him to see me in this state. I slowly peeked out from beneath the covers to come face to face with Hunny who had crawled up to sit next to me.

"Come on Shizu-chan! The plane is going to leave soon! We need to hurry!" Hunny started to bounce.

_Plane, what plane? Where are they – we – going?_ I thought. Just then the door creaked open and Chizu and Jin walked in, smiles on their faces. Chizu was rolling a suitcase behind her as she entered. I fixed them all with a confused stare.

"Oh did I forget to tell you last night? I must have been preoccupied by something else…" Chizu began, looking between Mori and I. We both went pale, then blushed.

"Well, I have been talking to Kyouya for a while now," she smiled and waved at Kyouya, who smiled and waved back. "The hosts are taking a trip for some of the break and they invited you to come along too Shizuko!" Chizu clapped her hands.

An image of Hunny crying in the limo yesterday because he had revealed their secret trip suddenly accosted me. _How could I have forgotten? Well, much did happen yesterday._

"So I said yes for you, you do so need a break Shizuko. We have your bags packed already. Hikaru and Kaoru were so nice to provide some clothes from their mother's collections for you, wasn't that nice of them!" I glared at the twins, who just grinned back evilly.

"Now you boys must leave the room so Shizuko can get ready! You don't want to leave any later than you already are, so I suggest you move along. Come on," Chizu said, ushering them from the room. Mori smiled sympathetically at me as they were shoved out the door. I sent him a look to tell him it wasn't his fault. Then it was just Haruhi, Jin, Chizu, and I.

The next 30 minutes were spent with Chizu and Jin fussing over what I was to wear and what to do with my hair. I sat, annoyed, in the chair, sending Haruhi "help me" looks. But she was too preoccupied updating Tamaki on how "his precious daughter" was faring. Eventually Chizu, Jin, and even Haruhi agreed on my look, though. At this point I was pushed out the door to where the hosts were all waiting bored.

I saw Mori's face light up when he saw me. I was wearing dark skinny jeans tucked into pair of brown lace up motorcycle boots. A blue and white horizontal striped tank top was tucked into the jeans and a maroon loose fitting cardigan hung over that. My hair had been pulled up into a loose ponytail.

"You look great Shizu-chan!" Hunny exclaimed. I smiled at him.

"Yes, but now we really must be leaving," Kyouya added, adjusting his glasses. "My family's private jet does leave whenever I ask it to, but we should try to arrive at the hotel as soon as possible."

"Speaking of hotel, have we even told Shizu-chan where we are going?" Hunny asked.

"How could we forget?" Tamaki cried. "We hosts are taking a lovely trip to…"

* * *

**Ok this isn't supposed to be a cliffhanger. I couldn't actually decide on a place I wanted them to go. So again I'm going to ask you guys: where would you like to see them go? I like having all of your input on the story. So, like usual, PM me or review with your choice of place. And if you have an idea, feel free to send that in also. If I like it better than the options I give, I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter and that's where our lovely host club will be heading! **

**New York City, NY**

**The Maldives (tropical island; some of the most expensive private beaches EVER)**

**Paris, France**

**Venice, Italy**


	27. Chapter 26

**So these were the final results for where the hosts should go. Thank you to everyone who voted, and for those of you who suggested alternative locations, I really thought about what you said. I just decided to go with what the most people wanted. **

**Maldives: 9**

**Paris: 7**

**Venice: 4**

**New York City: 5**

**And the Maldives wins! Not only did it get the most votes, but also many reviewers mentioned Shizuko would probably feel horribly out of place in large crowds and here she would be more comfortable. And who doesn't want to see how Mori will react to Shizuko in a bathing suit?**

**And here's the current score for my next story:**

**Dream Weaver: 16**

**That's Amore: 24**

**Living in a Fantasy: 9**

**Against All Odds: 14**

**Now enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

Mori's driver helped carry my suitcase to the awaiting limousine. I still could not wrap my head around the notion that I would be travelling to the Maldives. I had in face never been to the beach before, though I did know how to swim. Granted we would only be there for five days, but that was still quite enough time for me considering I had never travelled farther than…well Ouran. I had a passport – every orphan had one in the instance a family from out of country adopted him or her. Still, that did not imply I had ever had a use for it.

One by one the hosts and I climbed into the limo for departure. The hosts were kind enough to let me sit next to Mori, who slid his arm around my shoulders as the limo pulled away down the gravel drive. It did not take long for the quiet limo to turn into a cacophony. Everyone seemed thrilled for the trip, whereas I was just a bundle of nerves. I had never ventured overseas, nor had I ever been on a plane. Soon I would be able to check both of those off of my list of life accomplishments.

Mori must have sensed my apprehension because he squeezed my shoulder reassuringly and sent me a small smile. I smiled back and lay my head on his shoulder. My unease started to fade as I looked up at him; at least I had Mori there to support me.

We drove for an hour until we reached a small local airport. The limo drove straight onto the tarmac, pulling right up next to what I assumed to be the Ootori family private jet. We were escorted from the limo out onto the runway while our baggage was loaded into the plane. As security checked our passports, I watched the ground crew checking and prepping the plane. I had never been this close to a jet before, and I was rather fascinated by the machine before me. The security officer had already checked my passport, so I decided I would go take a closer look at the aircraft.

As I walked around the plane, inspecting every inch I could, I heard Hikaru say to Kaoru, "I've never met a girl so interested in…well everything. Shizuko isn't a normal girl is she?"

"No," Mori spoke up from behind them. I turned to face them and saw Mori was smiling at me. I cocked my head and smiled back, sending him a little wave. Maybe I was not the type of girl the host club was used to being around, but at least someone appreciated me.

Finally we got the all clear to board. Mori took my hand as we walked up the steps and into the plane. The interior was even more extravagant than I had anticipated. The plane comfortably seated up to 12 people. There were eight individual seats on one side of the aircraft, four of which were arranged around a table. Running the length of the other side was a long couch. All seating was covered in soft tan leather. The table and siding of the plane was made of a rich mahogany wood. There was a small kitchenette located at the back and two restrooms by the front. There were also two flat screen TV's – one by the by the entrance to the plane in front of the individual seats, the other over the table visible from the couch.

Mori led me to a pair of seats around the table. "Would you like to sit by the window?" he asked me.

I nodded my head in excitement. I wondered what it would look like once we were up in the air, flying through the clouds, looking down on the water and land that passed beneath us. I slid into the seat and buckled myself in, hardly containing my delight.

Mori let out a small chuckle. I looked at him confused. "You're cute when you're excited," he said, ruffling my hair. Some of my bangs fell out of my ponytail as he did this. I blew out some air, attempting to push them out of my face to no avail. Mori just laughed at me again. I crossed my arms, turning away, but then I felt him place a kiss on my cheek. I looked back at him, giving in and smiling; it was really hard to stay mad at him when he acted so sweet.

The stairs were rolled away and the door to the jet was locked in place. The captain came on overhead, making sure everyone had his or her seatbelts on for takeoff. "We should be arriving in a little less than 11 hours. Enjoy your flight," the captain finished. A short video was played about safety features, and then we were off.

The plane began to make taxi down the runway. Suddenly my excitement vanished, replaced with fear. I began to panic; what were the odds of this plane having to make an emergency landing in the water? Or the odds of this plane losing control of an engine…or the wings freezing…or the plane crashing? My knuckles turned white as I gripped the armrests tightly. My breathing mimicked the plane's motion as it picked up speed zooming down the runway. I squeezed my eyes shut.

I felt Mori place his hand over mine, then his breath against my cheek as he whispered to me, "Don't worry, I'm here and you are fine." I tried to nod back reassuringly, but I was still too paralyzed to move.

The plane's front wheels picked up off the ground, then the back wheels, and we were airborne. We glided into the air, but I was still too frightened to open my eyes. We rose quickly in altitude, and soon the captain was speaking overhead saying we had reached 10,000 feet. Mori had kept his hand on mine throughout the takeoff, for which I was very grateful. Now he leaned over to say, "Open your eyes and look out the window."

Slowly I let my eyes open, my head already facing the window. As I took register of our surroundings, my eyes flew open. _Goodness we're flying through a cloud! _I clapped my hands, my nerves replaced again by sheer delight. I had made it through takeoff and now I was flying. I pressed my face up against the window, looking down through a hole in the clouds. I could see small sparkling bodies of water amidst patches of green land and soaring mountains. It was simply breathtaking.

I thought about how far I had come to get to this point. A mere few months ago, I had been a voiceless orphan going seemingly nowhere. There had been a few quite obvious setbacks along my journey, but I was now flying 10,000 feet above the ground, surrounded by friends – no family. I had found a life, my voice, and could I say possibly even love, with the help of the host club. I had much to be thankful for.

"Tha…nk you," I suddenly said out loud.

"What was that Shizu-chan?" Hunny asked from his seat across the table?

"I thank yo..u," I repeated. All the hosts were now looking at me.

"What for?" Haruhi wondered aloud?

"For ev…everything," I smiled at them. They collectively smiled back at me; even Kyouya looked up momentarily from his notebook.

I turned my gaze back out the window, watching the clouds go by. An hour passed quickly, and I started to yawn. Mori stood up and walked to a small bench at the end of the couch. He opened the top of it and pulled out a pillow and blanket, bringing them back over to the table.

"Why don't you rest?" he offered his acquisitions to me. I was about to protest, but I yawned again and decided to just give in. I placed the pillow behind my head, wrapped the blanket around myself, and closed my eyes. Mori's hand toyed with my hair soothingly, and soon I was asleep.

* * *

I woke up with a start when the plane jolted unexpectedly.

"We're heading into a small storm, so we might experience some turbulence in the coming hour. Please remain seated with your seatbelts on for the time being," the captain stated.

I replaced my lap restraint, repositioning the pillow behind my head. "How wa…s I s.. for?" I asked Mori.

"Three hours," he quickly replied.

I looked out the window to see black clouds covering the sky. Looking at my watch I saw it was mid afternoon time-wise, but it could have been night it was so dark outside. I shivered involuntarily, pulling the blanket closer to my body.

"I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you all where we will be staying as well as housing arrangements," Kyouya spoke up. He picked up a remote, turning on the television above the table. I glanced up and was shocked to see individual housing units, connected via a long wooden dock, and they were all on supports right above the water!

"We have two of these units rented for the five days. Each has two bedrooms. Tamaki, the twins, and I will be housed in one. Mori, Hunny, Haruhi, and Shizuko will take the other," Kyouya separated us. "We will have all meals provided for us by private chefs, and maids will come clean each day. The resort's private beach can be accessed by walking back down the dock toward the shore." Kyouya made a few marks in his notebook before continuing. "There is a spa that we also have access to, and each unit has its own pool. Any questions?"

The other hosts all nodded while Haruhi and I just looked stunned. Neither of us had experienced such extravagance before. _At least I will not be the only one amazed by everything_ I thought to myself. Haruhi smiled at me then quickly said, "Hey roomie!" I smiled back.

_This vacation is going to be extraordinary _I thought, lying back in my seat. Just then the plane violently shook. My hand instinctively reached for Mori's, my heart rate picking up in speed.

"It's just some turbulence. Everything is fine," Mori squeezed my hand. I let out a breath I did not realize I had been holding, trying to calm my racing pulse. The plane jolted again and I tensed. I could see Haruhi trying to remain calm also, but she was visibly shaking. The bumpiness picked up, as did my fear. After all I had been through, I did not want to go down in a plane crash.

I could see lightning outside the window and rain was pelting the windows. A loud crack of thunder made me jump in my seat. I looked around at the other hosts and when I saw they all looked relatively nervous, my nerves skyrocketed. The plane shook again and my knee came up and banged against the underside of the table. I winced at the harsh contact. Mori squeezed my hand again comfortingly, but I was beginning to panic.

Just when I thought it could not get any worse, I felt the plane begin to drop. Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling as the cabin began to loose pressure. I quickly put mine on with my shaking hands, remembering the instructional video we watched before takeoff. I turned to see all everyone else has managed to get his or hers on as well. I breathed into the mask, but my breathing was quickly turning into hyperventilation.

The plane dropped again as it shook violently from side to side. More thunder could be heard outside and a brilliant flash of lightning momentarily blinded me. I shielded my eyes from the flash, my eyes filling with tears. Mori removed his hand to wrap his entire arm around me, pulling me as close to his side as he could over the armrest.

We were rapidly descending at this point. I could see the ocean beneath rushing up towards us. _This is it _I thought, _we are going down. _My stomach was in my throat as we continued to fall towards the earth below. The rain was obscuring most of my view but I could see water getting closer and closer. Suddenly, the plane began to level out again. The rocking continued though, as violent as ever.

I squeezed my eyes shut for the second time in the flight. Tears were falling freely down my cheeks now. I thought to myself the last time I had been this terrified was when Neikan had attacked me. A loud clap of thunder snapped me out of my thoughts, making me yelp.

And then as suddenly as it had started the turbulence began to subside. It continued raining outside, but the rain too was lightening up. The clouds were still a dark grey, but they were beginning to thin out. _We must have just flown directly through the heart of the storm _I guessed. I slowly released the armrest, flexing my stiff fingers as my ears popped from our swift descent. A crackle was heard from the overhead speakers, and then the captain's voice addressed us.

"My apologies for the rough flying there. I had to drop us down to 10,000 feet when the cabin lost pressure so no one fell unconscious. Please remain wearing your oxygen masks until the cabin regains full pressure and we have reached cruising altitude again. We have safely made it through the worst part of the storm. It should be smooth sailing from here on."

We mutually breathed a sigh of relief. I lay my head against Mori's shoulder, tired from the past half hour's events. Another thirty minutes later and we were informed we could remove the masks. Mori leaned over and place a kiss on my forehead.

The cabin was silent as we adjusted to breathing without the masks once more.

"Well, at least the flight wasn't completely boring," Hikaru tried to joke, but he ended up receiving seven glares instead.

I closed my eyes, still resting against Mori. Huddling in close to him, I drew the blanket in around me and soon I was sleeping once more.

* * *

"Shizuko, wake up. We're here," I heard Mori whisper in my ear as he gently shook me awake. I yawned, opening my eyes only to shut them quickly due to the bright sun outside. Once adjusted, I looked back outside to see palm trees and blue skies everywhere.

"Welcome to the Maldives," the captain said. I breathed out. _We're finally here._

* * *

**Flying can be terrifying…seriously. But they made it safely, and now they get 5 awesome days in the sun and sand! **

**Who's ready for the host club at the beach (again)!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	28. Chapter 27

**That's Amore is still winning in the race for my next story, but Dream Weaver is slowly creeping up:**

**Dream Weaver: 19**

**That's Amore: 25**

**Living in a Fantasy: 10**

**Against All Odds: 14**

**Now let's see some hosts at the beach!**

* * *

The resort we would be residing at for the next five days could only be accessed by boat. We were escorted from the plane to a speedboat, where our bags were already waiting for us. I was helped onto the boat where I took a seat and waited patiently for everyone else to board and for our bags to be stowed. Once everything was situated, the boat pulled away and we were coasting across the water. The breeze whipped at my hair, making me thankful it was in a ponytail, while the ocean spray clung to my skin. The water was crystal clear and not a single cloud could be seen in the azure sky. I looked to Mori sitting next to me; he was already staring back. I smiled. _I think I may have discovered paradise._

A mere twenty minutes later the boat pulled up alongside a long dock. A line of resort employees was waiting to take our bags and accompany us to the lobby when we arrived. We disembarked, following the group with our bags down the dock to the shore. I could not help but be astounded at the beauty surrounding me as we walked by the individual housing units. I looked to Haruhi and her face mirrored mine with awe. Neither of us had been to such a luxurious and exotic locale before.

We reached the end of the dock, now following our luggage carriers up a walkway to what I assumed to be the main lobby. Double doors were held open for us to enter when we approached and I nodded a quick thanks as I passed. Once inside, the bellhops stood off to the side, waiting for us to receive our housing unit numbers so they could deliver our bags. Kyouya, being the one who arranged the trip, went to check us in.

"So what do you think, you two," Hikaru asked, motioning between Haruhi and I.

"I've…well...it's amazing," Haruhi began. "I never thought I would be staying some place so grandiose!"

I nodded in agreement; Haruhi had said precisely what I would have.

Just then, Kyouya returned with the keys to our dwellings. We informed the bellhops and they quickly made their way back outside with all our belongings. We followed them back down the walkway and over to another dock that stretched out into the clear blue water. We walked about halfway down this dock before they stopped in front of one of the units.

"This is where Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, and I will be staying. You four will be right next-door. I will be unpacking and settling in, but you all may do whatever you want now that we are here," Kyouya dismissed us, entering the house. The other three followed him inside and Hunny, Mori, Haruhi, and I were left to find our house. As Kyouya had said, it was directly next to theirs so before long we were inside with our baggage, taking in the interior of our abode.

It was a two bedroom, two bath house, with a central kitchen and living space. Everything was made out of a light colored wood or covered in a soft white fabric with turquoise accents. Through a back door in the living room we could see a large hammock and a hot tub on our porch. Windows everywhere let in copious amounts of light as well as let us feast our eyes on the breathtaking surroundings. It was stunning.

Haruhi grabbed my hand and dragged me into the nearest room, claiming it as ours. Mori and Hunny retrieved their bags and went to the other room across from ours. We scanned the insides of our bedrooms briefly before reconvening in the main room.

"So what would you like to do first Haru-chan, Shizu-chan?" Hunny asked us.

Haruhi and I looked at each other briefly. We had discussed a little of what we hoped to accomplish this vacation and both of us knew immediately what our first priority was: the beach.

"Hunny-senpai, I think we should all go to the shore and spend some time at the beach. Doesn't that sound great?" Haruhi replied.

Hunny jumped into Haruhi's arms, almost pulling her over. "I think that's perfect Haru-chan!"

I looked to Mori who was sitting on one of the couches. "Ah," he said in approval.

So then it was settled. The afternoon would be spent lying in the warm sand and playing in the cool water. I smiled excitedly before realizing…I only had the clothes Chizu and the twins had packed for me. I could only guess at the horrors that awaited me in that suitcase. Haruhi and I went back to our room, Haruhi going directly to her suitcase and pulling out a very modest one-piece suit. Then she went into the bathroom to change. I approached my case apprehensively, unzipping it and opening it with care.

I started to pull out the clothing inside: a few pairs of extremely short shorts, some loose shirts, a few simple tank tops, brightly colored flowing skirts, cover-ups, dresses, my own pajamas (thank you Chizu), and lastly at least 15 different swimwear options. I started to take them out, paling more with each suit. I could not possibly wear these…I would be showing an abhorrent amount of skin!

"Hey, are you ready yet Shizuko?" Haruhi asked, reentering the room. I held up the thin piece of fabric I was holding to show her and just nodded my head no.

Haruhi grimaced, then sighed. "They did this to me too the first time we went to the beach. I would say you could borrow one of mine, but you are so much taller than me," she looked down at her chest, "not to mention bustier than me."

I looked down at my options nervously. Haruhi joined me and together we sifted through my options before deciding together on a navy blue and small white polka dot bikini. The top was a bandeau with a small 'V' opening in the center and a ruffle across the top, held up by a halter. The bottoms were simple, tied together on the side. I quickly changed then came back out.

Haruhi smiled. "Well, if anyone could pull off wearing a suit like that it would be you."

I covered my chest with my arms feeling horribly underdressed. I walked to my suitcase and taking out a white cover-up and pulling it on over my head. Sighing, I turned to Haruhi and nodded. "L..let's go."

We walked out of the room to find Hunny and Mori already waiting for us. Hunny looked adorable as always in a pair of pink swim trunks. Mori was wearing dark blue trunks and a white t-shirt.

"You girls look cute!" Hunny cried as we entered the living room.

Mori looked up from his book, looking directly at me and smiling. "Yeah," he said, still looking at me. I blushed.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go to the beach!"

* * *

"You girls look cute!" Mori heard Hunny exclaim happily. He looked up from the book he had been reading to see Haruhi and Shizuko standing in the doorway of their room. They were both wearing slips over their suits, but they did both look very nice.

Mori's eyes drifted to Shizuko still. She had taken her hair down and it now fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Her suit was covered by a soft white slip and he could see hints of a small blue bikini underneath. He mentally thanked the twins for doing her packing.

"Yeah," Mori agreed, closing his book and standing up.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go to the beach!" Hunny jumped into the air excitedly. He ran out the door shouting, "come on!" as Haruhi, Mori, and Shizuko followed. Once outside they saw the twins, Tamaki, and Kyouya already walking down the dock to the shore. Hunny had run to catch up to them, jumping onto Kaoru's back. They stopped and waited for the other three to join them before continuing on their way.

"You ladies look most lovely today," Tamaki complemented. Shizuko blushed, her arms folded across her chest as if she were trying to cover herself.

"Thank you senpai," Haruhi replied. They continued their walk down to the shore, Hikaru and Kaoru pestering Haruhi to take off her cover-up the entire time. She just rolled her eyes and ignored them.

Mori took Shizuko's hand as they walked onto the sand. "You look beautiful," he whispered into her ear.

"Than..k you," she whispered back, "y…you look…nice.. ."

He placed a kiss on her cheek as they walked past the lobby and down to the private beach. There were only two other couples there when they arrived, so it was nice and quiet. The group set up towels and umbrellas for shade before the twins dragged Haruhi out into the water, Hunny and Tamaki trailing behind. Mori looked to Shizuko wanting to stay with her but knowing he should probably watch Hunny in the water. Shizuko understood his look smiling and nodding at him. He leaned back down and gave her a quick kiss before joining the others in the water. That left Shizuko and Kyouya in the sand.

Shizuko pulled out a book from the bag she had brought with her, laying down on her stomach on a towel and opening it up. Kyouya did the same, sitting on his own towel. Soon though, he closed the book and stood up to go find some refreshments.

Shizuko didn't think anything of being alone, that is until a group of young guys that appeared to be about 20 showed up. They set up right next to where Shizuko was sitting, already eyeing her.

"Hey there, why don't you come join us over here. We'll keep you nice company," one said in English. Being fluent, Shizuko understood what he was saying, and immediately started to feel uncomfortable. She turned away from them, trying to block them out.

"Don't worry, we don't bite…unless you ask us to," one of the other guys spoke up, then high fived one of his buddies.

Shizuko ignored them again, keeping her eyes trained on the page. This did not keep the last guy who had spoken from getting up and moving to sit on the towel next to her. "Come on, we're on break and we just want to have some fun," he leaned down and whispered into her ear.

Shizuko flinched, turning to face him. "P…please ll…leave," she replied softly back in English.

"Aww, you're even cuter when you're nervous," the guy sat back. He looked back to his friends and waved them over. The two remaining guys sauntered on over, taking seats surrounding Shizuko.

* * *

Mori had seen the group of three guys when they first arrived. He had seen the way they were looking at Shizuko, like she was a prize to win. He ground his teeth together, vowing to keep a closer eye on her.

He turned back to where Hunny was floating in an inner tube happily. The twins had pulled Haruhi into the water, cover-up and all, when she had tried to resist. Now she was trying to dunk them in retaliation. Tamaki had moved to where the water met the shore and was lying lazily in the sun. His friends all seemed fine where they were, so he decided it was time to go back to Shizuko. He waded through the water to Hunny.

"Mitsukuni, be careful in the water. I'm going back to Shizuko," he informed his cousin.

"Okay Takashi! Have fun!" Hunny replied, splashing around in the inner tube.

Mori did one last scan of the water before turning back to shore. What he saw made his blood boil, and without a thought he was running towards the shore.

* * *

I saw the one guy motion to his other friends. I groaned inwardly. I had thought this beach would have more high-class patrons than these three. They seemed to be alone, so I presumed they were spoiled and wealthy young adults, not used to being turned down by girls. I turned back to my book, hoping ignoring them would give them the message that I was completely uninterested. This did not deter them, however.

"Aww be nice, we just want to have a good time," the first guy spoke again.

"Yeah, and you definitely look like a good time," the third one said, speaking for the first time. He winked at me, his eyes darting to my chest, and I looked away in disgust. These guys were animals.

I set my book down and stood up, deciding it was best to go find Mori. He might have been younger than my pursuers, but he was at least a good 5 inches taller than them. He could easily intimidate them.

"Hey, where are you going?" they stood up after me. The first guy grabbed my wrist to stop me. I had a sudden flashback to Kuro grabbing me in the hallway and I tensed. I turned back to face them, giving them the hardest glare I could muster.

The guy holding my wrist grinned evilly. "Forget what I said earlier. I like you better when you're angry. That's really hot."

I tried to pull my wrist from his grasp, but instead of succeeding in escaping, he pulled me in tight to his chest. I felt his free hand reach around and grab my butt. I would have slapped him, but he still had a hold of one of my wrists and the other was trapped between my chest and his.

I grimaced, struggling in his hold, but he was stronger than I was. _Why does this always happen to me?_ I thought as I continued to struggle to get away.

Suddenly, I saw someone run up out of the corner of my eye. The next thing I knew, the guy was on the ground and I was pushed behind a defensive Mori.

"Asshole, what was that for?" the guy said from the ground, doubled over clutching his stomach. The other two guys were holding their ground, but looked nervously at Mori.

"Stay away," Mori said slowly in perfect English.

By this point, the other hosts had seen what was going on and were all coming forward. They stood protectively by my side, letting the three guys know there was no way they were getting to me.

"Ugh whatever," the guy said standing up but still holding his midsection. "You can have her. She's not even that pretty anyw…" He was cut off when Mori threw his fist into the guy's jaw. He yelped, holding a hand to his mouth before growling and backing away. His friends followed him away.

"Are you ok?" Mori said turning his attention to me.

I nodded and he pulled me into a hug.

"10 minutes and I come back to see Mori punching someone. I just can't leave you all alone can I?"

* * *

**Ugh, some guys. But at least Mori was there to save her (again). Hopefully they won't have to worry about those boys again. **

**Review as always! **


	29. Chapter 28

**I apologize for the long update. I can't believe it's been over a week since I posted anything...**

**I've had some horrible writer's block, not to mention an INSANE amount of schoolwork. And as much as I wish my writing was my priority, college comes first. But I finally managed to crank something out for you guys.**

**As far as the next story goes, this is the current score:**

**Dream Weaver: 21**

**That's Amore: 27**

**Living in a Fantasy: 11**

**Against All Odds: 16**

**Now for the current story. It's not the longest chapter, but enjoy:**

* * *

"Well, I guess he had it coming," Kyouya relented. Tamaki and the twins had just finished their excessively showy explanation of what had transpired during his absence.

"Of course he did! No pervert will be coming within five feet of either of my precious daughters again!" Tamaki shook his head.

Mori looked over to me, rubbing the knuckles on his right hand. They were red and slightly swollen, light bruises forming across the backs where his hand had come into contact with the guy's jawline. I tenderly took his hand in mine, being careful not to put to much pressure on it, and brought it to my lips. I kissed each knuckle individually before letting it rest gently back at his side. Then I pulled him into a hug to say thanks.

"Ah, the young in love. I remember when I was first in love…" Hikaru joked, looking off into the distance. He pulled his brother into his arms, placing his hand under Kaoru's chin to tilt his face up slightly. Gazing into Kaoru's eyes he continued, "But now nothing could compare to my love for you Kaoru."

"Oh, Hikaru," Kaoru blushed back.

Off to the side Haruhi scoffed at the display, rolling her eyes. "Do you really have to do that here?" she asked, her hand on her hip.

"Would you rather us love you?" the twins separated, coming at Haruhi from either side. She took that moment to escape, running back to the water. The twins took off after her, in pursuit of their fleeing "toy".

"Get away from Haruhi you devil spawn!" Tamaki raged, following closely behind.

I sat back down on my towel, chuckling quietly as I watched Haruhi none too gently push Tamaki into the water. Across from me Kyouya sat back down, his drink in one hand and his black notebook in the other. _Does he travel nowhere without that notebook?_ I thought to myself as he set his drink down and penned a few words. I craned my neck, hoping to catch the slightest glimpse of what he may be hiding, but a figure stepped into my line of vision blocking my view.

"Shizu-chan! Come join us in the water!" Hunny jumped up and down hopefully.

I looked up into his excited eyes, about to agree to join them, when I remembered what I was wearing – or rather the lack of what I was wearing. The idea of baring so much skin made me uncomfortable and nervous, especially in front of Mori. I bit my lip, my mind battling between giving in or saying no. I looked to where Mori had sat down next to me; his face remained indifferent, but his eyes said "please". I sighed – I could not say no to him. Reluctantly I shook my head saying, "Ok."

Mori's mouth twitched into a smile while Hunny leapt onto my back. "We're going to have so much fun Shizu-chan!" he cried, jumping back down to the ground. He sprinted off towards the water where he proceeded to tackle Hikaru. Beside me, Mori moved so his shoulder was touching mine.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" he asked me.

"It..s ok. I'll m…meet you th…there," I replied. He leaned over and kissed my cheek before getting up and walking to the water's edge. I could not help but smile as I eyed his form. Mori was not only the most handsome guy I had ever met, but he was also the most caring, gentlemanly, beautiful soul as well. Somehow I had been lucky enough to end up with him.

"He really likes you, you know," my thoughts were interrupted. I turned to see Kyouya glancing at me over his notebook.

"I keep an eye on all the hosts, you must have realized. I've hosted with Mori-senpai for three years and he's never shown so much as a hint of interest towards the girls. But now, with you, he smiles and speaks more freely. I don't tend to intrude upon any relationships the other hosts might have, but do try not to break his heart," he paused.

I must have been gaping because Kyouya raised an eyebrow at me. I quickly shut my mouth and nodded a swift yes.

"Good. Mori's rates have been going up since he's been more emotionally open therefore we're getting more business. A distraught Mori would be horribly counterproductive," he finished, turning back to his notes.

I rolled my eyes. Of course there were ulterior motives behind his want for Mori's happiness. Still, I knew I would never break Mori's heart. My worries were that he might break mine.

"Come on Shizu-chan! The water's great!" I heard Hunny calling. I remembered then that I was supposed to be joining them. I held a finger up to say I would be there in a moment. Quickly I stood up, untied the halter of the dress, and with one last sigh I pulled the cover up off. I shivered as the air hit my bare midriff. Throwing my arms across my stomach in an attempt to cover as much skin as I could, I made my way across the warm sand. As I stepped cautiously into the water, I heard someone whistling.

"Wow you look hot Shizuko!" Hikaru winked at me. A second later he was spluttering under the water, Tamaki glaring down at him.

"Don't you call my precious daughter hot, you perv!" he shouted as Hikaru resurfaced.

"Oh come on, like you weren't thinking it too boss," Kaoru came up behind Tamaki, leaning on his shoulder. Tamaki's face turned tomato red and then he hastily retreated. Putting my face in my hands I rubbed at my temples. _This is exactly what I didn't want. _

"Takashi, doesn't Shizu-chan look great?" Hunny said as he swam up to me. "Umm…uh…y…" I heard coming from just to my left. I turned and saw Mori staring at me. He gulped timidly, his face and ears red as he rubbed the back of his head. I let out a little squeal and ducked under the water to hide my body, embarrassment seizing me. After a few moments, I rose just enough for my eyes and ears to be visible above the water. Mori was kneeling before me.

"You look amazing Shizuko," he whispered to me. "Please don't hide."

Nervously I emerged out of the water. Mori smiled and took my hand, leading me further into the cool ocean. I could still feel my cheeks burning under his gaze, but I was slowly starting to feel more comfortable with my outfit choice. The seawater felt splendid against my warm skin, the air was fresh and clean, and I knew I needed to loosen up and relax. This was a vacation after all; I was meant to be enjoying myself. I decided then and there I was going to have some fun.

Taking a cue from the twins, I held a finger up to my mouth for everyone to be silent then mimed pushing Mori. I could see the twins' eyes gleaming mischievously as they gave me the thumbs up. I tugged gently on Mori's hand to stop him; he turned around eyeing me curiously. I smiled as sweetly as I could, motioning with my finger for him to come closer to me. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he bent down, expecting me to kiss him. As he leaned in, I put my hands up as if to lay them gently against his chest, but instead I pushed him directly into the water.

Mori, being rather a tall human being, fell none too gracefully backwards, creating a large splash. Haruhi and Tamaki, being the closest, shielded their eyes from the oncoming wave. Off to the side, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Hunny burst into laughter. The twins came over and each high fived me.

I waited for Mori to resurface, but after a few moments without seeing him I began to worry. Just then I felt something brush up against my leg, and the next thing I knew I was being pulled under. Someone grabbed me from behind, and if I hadn't felt those familiar arms wrapped around me just moments before, I would have panicked. Together Mori and I broke the surface of the water.

"That's what you get for tricking me," he said sternly, but then broke into a grin.

That time I really did kiss him when he leaned in. We remained lip-locked for a few moments until we heard some catcalling and cheers. Breaking apart we turned to see two heads of red hair withdrawing quickly. Mori and I looked at each other, devilish gleams mirrored in our eyes, before pursuing them.

The rest of the afternoon followed much in the same manner. I had all but forgotten my bathing suit woes by the time the sun began to set. Deciding it was time to find some dinner, our group headed back to shore. We toweled off then made our way to our respective lodgings to change and clean ourselves up.

After we each showered off, Haruhi and I helped each other dress for the evening. Haruhi ended up in white jeans and a flowing yellow cap sleeved shirt with a light pink palm frond pattern and a pair of gold sandals. I opted for a strapless maxi dress with a white top and light blue bottom and a pair of white sandals. We left our room to see the boys already waiting for us. They were wearing similar outfits consisting of dark jeans and collared shirts, but Hunny's was light pink and Mori's was dark blue, their typical colors.

"I'm so hungry!" Hunny flopped onto the couch. "I hope they have a lot of cake!"

"We should go see if the others are ready," Haruhi moved towards the door. When she opened it, however, Tamaki was already there poised to knock.

"Well I guess they're ready boss," Kaoru said from somewhere behind Tamaki.

We all crowded out the door as Kyouya and Tamaki lead us down the dock towards the main building where the restaurant was. Suddenly they stopped though, and some voices I had hoped to never hear again rang out against the night sky.

"Oh look, it's the group of idiots from earlier."

"And look, they're hoarding the girls again. 2 girls for 6 guys, now that's not fair is it?"

I tensed and instinctively reached for Mori's hand. He grabbed on to it and pulled me behind him. Beside me the twins stepped defensively in front of Haruhi.

"I think it would be best if you kindly left us alone," Kyouya answered them, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"Oh you really think so glasses?" the ringleader stepped forward shoving Kyouya in the chest.

Kyouya just sighed. "If you keep this up you are only going to make fools of yourselves again." He shook his head and pushed his glasses up. "I don't know why we didn't just report you for harassment earlier."

I could hear the guy growling. His anger was rising perceptibly and he appeared on the verge of attacking Kyouya. Kyouya kept his cool however, merely sidestepping the three guys and motioning for us to follow him.

The trio looked momentarily shocked that they hadn't phased their target at all, however they quickly recovered. One lunged forward at Kyouya, but out of nowhere something darted out and pushed him back. The guy stumbled and fell into the dark waters. Seconds later, two similar splashes could be heard.

"No one messes with my friends!" Hunny said, wiping his hands together then placing them on his hips.

"Well done Hunny-senpai!" Tamaki pulled him into a bear hug. "You've saved us all!"

Tamaki set the giggling Hunny back down. "Does that mean I can have extra cake now?"

"I think that can be arranged," Kyouya said, looking at his watch. "We should hurry though. We don't want to be staying out too late."

We all agreed and continued on our way. We didn't make it very far however when an audible gasp and a quick shriek sounded from the back of the group. The sound of a body colliding harshly with the water could be heard next, followed by a terrified cry.

"Kaoru!"

* * *

**Oh no what happened to Kaoru?!**

**Review and you'll find out soon! **


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